


The Avatar's Master

by stelladonna



Series: The Avatar's Master (The Darkness Within) [1]
Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: Action/Adventure, Angst and Fluff and Smut, Bending (Avatar), Canon-Typical Violence, Dark Avatar, Drama & Romance, Eventual Korra/Asami Sato, F/F, F/M, Fanon, Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, Korvirasami, Kuvira Redemption, Lesbian Sex, Masturbation, Multi, OTP Feels, Oral Sex, Pining, Plot, Post-Canon, Sexual Tension, Smut, Some Threesomes, Spirit World shenanigans, Strap-Ons, Training, capitalist asami, come for the smut stay for the story, cultivation, korra/kuvira hookup, kuvira alone, philosophy and spirituality, platonic makorra
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-10
Updated: 2021-03-08
Packaged: 2021-03-09 01:48:48
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 33
Words: 105,904
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27496717
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stelladonna/pseuds/stelladonna
Summary: After a heart-wrenching breakup with Asami, Korra returns to Zaofu to train metalbending with Master Kuvira, who is under house arrest at the Beifong Estate. Meanwhile in Republic City, Asami gets entangled in her own affairs.Taking place six months after Ruins of the Empire, this cultivation fic explores the dark and light sides of three women - Korra, Asami, and Kuvira. At its core it's a love, friendship, and redemption story. With smut.
Relationships: Korra/Asami Sato, Korra/Kuvira (Avatar), Korra/Kuvira/Asami Sato, Opal/Kuvira
Series: The Avatar's Master (The Darkness Within) [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2009455
Comments: 123
Kudos: 241





	1. Arrival

**Author's Note:**

> This is a character and plot-driven story with occasional semi explicit and explicit sex scenes. 
> 
> Reads sort of like Book 5 as imagined in my gay head.
> 
> *I do not own the characters (except for OCs) or settings of LOK.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Korra arrives in Zaofu looking for Kuvira.

It was a cloudy day in Zaofu. The Beifongs were wondering where Korra was and calculated she should have arrived at least two days ago if taking one of Asami's airships. But soon they got their answer. Off in the distance, Korra flew in with the rolling fog on a sky bison. She appeared about 20 minutes out, enough time for Suyin and company to greet the Avatar upon her arrival.

As Korra approached, her shoulder-length brown hair whipped in the wind while her face shown a stone pensiveness, as if she had spent the long days and nights of travel frozen in that position. Of all those close to the Avatar, Suyin knew her the least, but even so, Korra wore her emotions on her blue form-fitted sleeve. Korra landed with a thud on her heaping skybison, Moo, whom she had semi-recently befriended on Air Temple Island. Suyin, Bataar Sr., the twins – Wei and Wing, and Huan came out to greet her. Suyin separated herself from the group to hug Korra as she approached. The old lady was anything but, radiating a youthful vibration in tanned skin and wavy grey sidebob. Korra hugged back flimsily and Suyin withdrew, sensing something off with the Avatar.

"Welcome back, Korra. We are delighted to have you stay with us. Are you feeling OK? Tough trip?" Suyin said. Korra appeared in disarray to their eyes. Her hair was amess from flying around all higgledy-piggledy in the open air, and she had deep set bags under her eyes.

"I'm fine, really. Just tired from all the travel," Korra tried to assure Suyin and the boys while avoiding eye contact. The depth of her deep sea blues distorted with a sheen of tears. Korra bended them back in their ducts, hopefully before Suyin or anybody else noticed.

"Of course, my dear. I'm just happy to see you again," Suyin said. She wasn't buying what Korra was bending.

"We all are," Bataar chimed in, with Wei and Wing adding "Yeah" in unison, Huan nodding aloofly.

"Hello Bataar. Wei, Wing. Huan. It's good to see you too," Korra said.

"If you need to talk -- about anything -- I want you to know that I'm here for you," Suyin said, placing a motherly hand on Korra's shoulder.

"Su was starting to worry. We thought you would arrive sooner," Bataar said.

"We made a stop along the way," Korra said, looking over to Moo, who had plopped down on all sixes and was napping after a long trip, snoring loudly.

Suyin surmised something must have happened to Korra but couldn't tell what it was and didn't want to pry, though she was curious where Korra went; the skybison had flew in from the opposite direction of Republic City.

"By the way, is Kuvira here?" Korra looked around to see if Kuvira might be hiding among the group of Beifongs. But she wasn't.

"Kuvira is probably training; she's been quite busy and productive with her idle time under house arrest," Suyin said.

"If you ask me, I don't know how in the Earth Kingdom, Empire, or Whatever you call it these days Kuvira was let off this easy. What about my life? And I'm not talking about the tender flesh on my slender bones. I'm talking about the psychological DAMAGE she has inflicted upon us, hindering my artistic spirit and therefore my ability to CREATE," Huan said in an emo tizzy.

"Why don't you say that to her face?" Wei said, or was it Wing?

Huan crossed his arms and shook his head. "I can't believe Opal forgave her too, after all she's done. At least Bataar Jr. still has some sense."

"You're just mad she took up metal sculpturing and is better at it than you," Wing said, definitely Wing.

"Boys, that's enough," Suyin said. "Kuvira's going through something right now. She needs time. Do you honestly think prison would reform her? Or is it just another form of useless, sadistic punishment? At least here, she gets a real chance at blossoming into a higher-vibrating version of herself."

"That sounds New-Agey. But... we're in a New Age, so that makes sense." Korra looked down and off to the side. "I know I can relate to needing time to heal through trauma."

It was also partially why Korra went to Zaofu – she needed to focus utterly on metalbending to distract herself from the thought of – her.

"Don't forget, Korra, that metalbending and vibration are intimately connected," Suyin added.

"Which is why I'm here – to master it. I only really have a little more than the basics down and typically bend metal – what was it Tenzin said – Korra style."

Suyin's eyes sparkled at the thought of helping Korra master metalbending. She was hoping for a little more notice than a telegram a few days ago, but this was the Avatar, and she trusted it was for good reason.

"Well, how about you get cleaned up and rest a few hours and we can discuss the details of you training under me at dinner this evening," Suyin said.

"That's what I wanted to talk about. I was wondering if I can see Kuvira now," Korra said.

"Of course, Korra," Suyin said. "But what do you want with Kuvira?"

"Um, I don't know how else to say it." Korra was shuffling her feet, wondering how she would avoid hurting Suyin's feelings but in that moment decided the best option was to be forthright. She straightened up and cleared her throat.

"Actually, Su," Korra said. "I'm here to train with Kuvira. I'm hoping she can be my sifu." Korra felt bad but had to be honest no matter how awkward.

"I see," Suyin said, looking to her husband, who exchanged a glance with his wife.

Korra babbled, "It's just that Kuvira's the best – I mean... uh, no offense, except for Toph, and Toph lives in a swamp where there's nothing but, well, swamp. But I also just visited Toph – that's where I came from, actually; she says Hi, by the way – and saw visions that told me Kuvira was meant to help me, or maybe the other way around, I'm not too sure about that. Plus, the way she moves – it's more suited to my style. I hope you understand." Korra almost added that Toph also suggested she master metalbending with Kuvira but maybe that was too much.

"I see..." Suyin said, slight but permeating air of disappointment and bruised ego about her. But she understood. Kuvira was her protégé and a prodigy. Suyin had taught her to move like that but Kuvira had long taken her training to higher levels. She gave Korra a nod and started to walk down the runway toward the outdoor training center, and with a motion of her hand beckoned Korra to follow. "I'll take you to her now, where you can see her move – you know, without trying to kill you.

"That'd be great, thanks," Korra said, arms akimbo as she leaned on her right hip before gathering up chi for her second wind.


	2. Challenge

Suyin led Korra to the entrance of the gym, an outdoor colosseum infused with dirt and different types of metal ranging from soft malleable meteor rock to unbendable platinum and gold. Some sort of strange music Korra had never heard before was blasting through the gramophone. They stopped at the closed entrance to the open-air gym.

"This is where I leave you." Suyin handed Korra a mechanical button. "If you are for any reason in danger, push this button and it brings Kuvira to heel. It's just enough to knock her out, so the police can come and apprehend her. It also works as a tracker. But honestly, I don't think you'll need to do this with my girl, and between you and me – if Kuvira really wanted to escape, she would have done it a long time ago."

Korra was conflicted. She looked at the device, which had a single red button. It was made out of a manufactured material called plasmic; she had learned that from Asami. Also from Asami, she learned how to recognize tech – this was a Varrick design. 

"Whether or not she escapes, this makes it so she's a prisoner wherever she goes," Korra said. And Varrick is profiting off of this, she thought. She was a country bumpkin but also a fast learner about the way the world worked, especially because she had been tortured by it repeatedly as the Avatar, and living with Asami, she saw another dark side of the world – the money side – intimately. She shuddered.

Suyin noticed something was amiss with Korra and put her hand on her shoulder. They exchanged glances, gave a silent mutual nod, and then Su left. Korra entered through the double doors of the gym, using metalbending to slide them open. The music pulsed around her, a rhythmic bassy sound with steady drumbeat and dark atmospheric string-type instrument, though it sounded sort of metallic and heavy but downtempo. Kuvira was moving to the music, spinning and swaying and flipping, metal shards shifting shapes in tandem with her dancing. She continued her dance, even as she saw Korra's eyes fastened keenly to her. Might as well put on a show, Kuvira thought. And she did.

Korra was mesmerized by Kuvira's movements. Her lithesome figure agile, yet angular and well-muscled. Her long, black ponytail swinging to and fro, shimmering under the patches of sun that managed to poke through the clouds. Her flexibility and strength as she balanced one leg high in the air and spun with grace and precision. She seemed to float, using metal plates as steps to move about in space seamlessly, even molding some of the plates to form a ramp which propelled her high in the air. Suddenly and still airborn, Kuvira metal-bent the plates around her, fastening one piece to her boddess like a corset that covered her breasts and molded perfectly to them, along with shiny metal cuffs around her wrists and ankles and calves. It wasn't enough, there was an engraved design of climbing vines and a flower she had seen growing wild in the area on both the cuffs and corset, the fine work dazzling in detail. For the first time, Korra noticed her house arrest ankle bracelet, the same plasmic material of the button.

Then Kuvira lifted herself up by the corset and cuffs and flew, infusing attack moves to her routine. The music blared a crescendo. Sharp shards of metal became tiny needles, which darted toward a dummy in the corner, striking it precisely at various pressure points. Korra didn't know whether to be in awe or afraid or something else, but if she was being honest with herself, she was all of the things.

Kuvira lowered herself slowly to greet the Avatar, smiling.

"Avatar Korra, it's good to see you. When I saw you there, I just had to put on a show. I was trying out a few new techniques I learned recently."

Sweat was beading down her forehead and along her neck down to her chest. Kuvira grabbed a towel and pat herself down, bending the metal off of her body and into a hollow sphere on the ground which she then rested upon. White bindings encircled her forearms and ankles, and she sported a white tank top with black highwater sweat pantaloons.

"No need for the formalities," Korra said, lifting her eyebrow remembering their last adventure where Kuvira had said the same to her. She added, "The way you move -- precise but smooth. That's something I need to work on with my bending. Speaking of which --"

"You're here to practice metalbending with Suyin. Su already told me."

"No, actually, I'm here to practice with, learn from, you. You're the best I know, except for Toph, of course. But even she can't do some of the things you can," Korra admitted, tucking a sliver of her unkempt earth-colored hair behind her ear.

Kuvira looked at Korra, a heap of a woman who seemed to struggle to keep it together despite exuding an incomprehensible sadness. The bags under her eyes were almost black atop her copper skin. Even at her worst, she was the Avatar, but was she a match for Kuvira? The former Great Uniter was curious.

"Then let's practice!" Kuvira said, bending a rectangular slab of metal at Korra's face, obscuring her vision. Korra swung fire toward what she thought was Kuvira's direction while she bent the scrap of metal off her face. But by then she was too late, Kuvira was already onto her next move, flying about in her metal corset and cuffs. She slipped a piece of rock away from under Korra's foot, causing her to do the splits. That's when Kuvira came in with the one-two punch, except without actually punching, but pausing inches from Korra's jugular, a sharp piece of metal jutting slowly from Kuvira's cuff to the throbbing flesh.

Korra swung her head back. "You caught me off guard. Let's go again! But she was too tired and delirious to make any more sudden moves.

Kuvira laughed.

"Aside from your apparent exhaustion, the truth of the matter is, Avatar Korra," Kuvira said in that deep sultry voice of hers, "you're too slow. By the time you realize what's happening I'm already onto the next thing."

"I still have to think about what I'm doing when I metalbend, but you look like you're reacting and creating all at once. You know exactly what you're doing, but you're effortless, seamless. Besides, you don't move like a typical Earth bender," Korra said.

"That's because I'm a dancer. Dancing is a martial art unto itself. And I don't limit myself to one nation's old, tired bending style. I also study the movements of Fire and Water benders, and even nonbending mixed martial artists, incorporating their techniques into my style where it suits me. I've even started to learn to use metal as a form of chi blocking."

Korra's eyes widened. Yes, she definitely feared and revered this woman for her power and creativity.

"Interesting coming from someone who wanted to restore the glory of the Earth Kingdom," Korra said.

"I never supported the Earth Kingdom – or any type of monarchy. What people don't understand was I knew that ultimately the Earth Empire would be stronger if we were all united. If we could share cultures and ideas but still hold fast to our histories and heritage, then we would truly be a powerful and wise nation. That was my eventual plan anyway, but of course now I know the way I went about it was wrong," Kuvira said, slumping in defeat on her makeshift seat. "And I was blinded by power. What's the saying? Oh yes – absolute power corrupts absolutely. Any good person is susceptible to corruption if taken too far. Even you, The Avatar."

Korra was gutted by Kuvira's newfound wisdom. But the idea that she could be susceptible to darkness, even as the keeper of the light spirit, frightened her because she knew it was true. Something had long told her that Vaatu did not disappear forever. It wasn't possible, so where did he go? Deep down, Korra knew the answer. Vaatu had re-fused with Raava during Harmonic Convergence, but Raava currently dominated. Korra was the first of a new kind of Avatar, one that balances both dark and light.

"Where did all this wisdom come from?" Korra said finally, after drifting away with her thoughts awhile.

Kuvira straightened up again. She hadn't noticed Korra's mini meditation because she was lost in her own. She said, "I've had a lot of time to think, Korra. I've been in prison and now house arrest. I'm no fool. And I truly want what's best."

Korra sensed her sincerity and moved the subject back to bending.

"Tenzin once said I mastered Korra-style airbending but not real airbending," Korra chuckled. "But I've always felt I can do both. So, what do you say, Master Kuvira? Will you train me?" She mustered up that crooked smile of hers.

"Well, Master does have a nice ring to it. But I'm busy. Believe it or not, I have a full schedule," Kuvira said.

Kuvira looked at Korra, her rippling muscles showing through her blue getup. Kuvira admired the Avatar, despite it all. Korra had displayed the most awesome power she had ever witnessed when she created the new spirit portal. That moment was a slow roast after a big blast, but it sparked a change in the former dictator. But still, she felt an unknown block in the pit of herself, a writhing restlessness only hours of training a day could burn away. But was it enough?

"To be honest, I went to the swamp seeking out Toph but when I got there, I had a vision that I should master metalbending with you. Not only do I need your help, I saw that you needed mine. I don't know with what, but I'm the Avatar and I've gotta deal with this stuff all the time, even when I don't want to, so trust me on this," Korra said.

Korra's confession took Kuvira aback, and she considered the proposition. Maybe she could do some good in the world by helping the Avatar. But what could the Avatar do to help her? Kuvira's thoughts immediately turned to Bataar Jr. and how he had avoided her for the past six months after the brainwashing incident. She had hoped a spark would rekindle, but now she understood that trying to kill her fiancé with a spirit blast from a giant mecha suit was unforgiveable. Fair enough. But surprisingly, after all these years of tension, jealousy, and contention, Opal started coming around and checking in on her when she wasn't off fulfilling her Air Nomad duties. They had taken long walks in the Beifong residence gardens and Opal had confessed to coming home more often to avoid seeing Bolin. Kuvira's body flushed at the thought of Opal, which confused her. Regardless, it couldn't be what Korra had in mind, and Kuvira was intrigued to find out.

"Tell you what," Kuvira said. "I'm not ready to make a decision until after I've had dinner, so why don't we pick up this conversation then?"

Korra nodded and turned to go. She still hadn't settled in and suddenly felt the urge to take a long, hot bath before dinner and wallow in despair over losing the love of her life.

"Everything OK?" Kuvira asked as Korra was padding out.

"Hmm? Oh yea, the world still turns, the spirits still dance, and Sato airships still fly," Korra said. And left.


	3. Dinner and a Hot Bath

To dinner, Korra wore her Earth Nation getup, which would more or less be her look while she was in Zaofu. Her hair, freshly washed and damp, hung loosely about her shoulders, and the smell of her shampoo, dusky sweet oils from the Southern Water tribe, wafted into the air and up the nostrils of Kuvira, who sauntered over to the dinner table and took the seat next to Korra.

Korra had noticed Kuvira's outfit as she made her way up – she wore a black sleeveless turtleneck with golden/coppery trim atop a pair of matching breeches. For decoration and likely utility, she sported metal arm bangles of the same color adorned with hanging vines and a brooch of the familiar flower at her breast, all the same material. She no longer wore green, Korra realized, but she had reverted back to sporting her signature long, thick braid, which swung about her butt, hair parted to the side with a wavy tendril curving to her angular face. Just as Asami was beautiful, Kuvira was handsome, dashing even.

Seated around the horseshoe-shaped table were all of this branch of the Beifong family, sans Opal. At the head were Suyin and Bataar Sr., and sitting far to the opposite of Korra and Kuvira was Bataar Jr., who engaged in idle chatter with Wing and Wei. Huang sat closer to his parents on Korra and Kuvira's side.

Suyin's chef, a former pirate and robust man of 300 lbs, approached Korra and presented her with three dinner options, all fancy things she had never heard of. Without Asami there to fill in the gaps, Korra replied, "Do any of these dishes have meat?"

"Yes, the second one," the pirate chef said in a deep-setted voice.

"Great, I'll take that. Oh, and a hot tea, please," Korra said.

"Are you sure you want a noodle juice? You look like you could use some panther piss," he said.

"Panther piss?"

"It's the stuff that makes your chest warm and your face numb – whiskey, sweetheart," he said.

"Oh, um, no thank you to the Piss. Just the noodle juice please," Korra said awkwardly.

"I'll take one noodle juice as well," Kuvira chimed in. "Not really a piss drinker myself," she winked and they both laughed and smiled at each other.

Korra could feel her spirits rise slightly for the first time in weeks, that is, until the conversation inevitably turned to Asami.

"So, ladies, how did it go out there?" Suyin echoed from the head of the table, dipping her fork into the elaborately plated food.

"Too soon to tell," Korra said, answering in between bites and looking at Kuvira who did not react. The meal was delicious and she was sure to tell that to the chef.

Suyin figured Kuvira would need some convincing, but Korra wasn't one to back down easily. In truth, she knew Kuvira relished the attention, especially from someone like Korra, who she admired greatly but did not advertise.

"Opal is coming home next week for a few days," Su changed the subject.

Kuvira perked up at this news, and she became flush with excitement but quickly caught herself, taming her emotions so as not to have anyone read into anything.

"Great," Korra said, none-the-wiser to Kuvira's fluster. "I haven't seen her in a while, and I'll have a girlfriend to practice airbending with."

"Speaking of girlfriend," Suyin said. "How's Asami?"

Korra paused, cowering into her tea. Everyone was watching her and expecting an answer. She was quiet a moment before taking a deep breath and announcing, "Asami and I split up three weeks ago. We're no longer together."

"Oh honey, I'm sorry," Suyin said. "I didn't realize – "  
But it was too late, as soon as Korra said it aloud, it became official, and a sick feeling in her stomach overcame her, tears welling in her eyes. For a moment, she thought she would vomit but managed to hold back her noodle juice.

"I'm actually not feeling well. May I be excused," Korra said, trying her best to keep it together.

"Of course, hon," Su said.

With that, Korra left the dinner table and managed to make it back to her room before crumpling to the floor. Eventually, Korra picked herself up and decided to take another bath; it was a way to drown her sorrows because bathing cleanses the mind and spirit.

She stripped down to nothing and stared at her bare body in the oval shaped, body-length mirror. She ran her hands down the length of her sides and perfectly sculpted abs and flexed, angling her body this way and that. Then she cupped her bosoms, free now from the binds and heavy on her chest. Eventually her gaze made its way down to the thick tendrils of her nether region. Not long ago, Asami had more or less lived in the bush between Korra's legs. And they had made love in this very room, Asami combing her fingers through Korra's hair down there with one hand, nails raking over the crevices of her abs and adorable outie belly button with the other until the Avatar was wet as a waterbender in her element, arching her back up, begging for it. The feeling of Asami blowing on her clit and then plunging down to meet her up-rocked pelvis with plump lips and powerful tongue made Korra shudder in remembrance. She could feel herself getting wet, and decided she better get in the bath to calm her boiling blood.

Korra walked over to the clawfoot tub and used metalbending to pump a lever, which connected directly to the river and emptied into the tub. She used waterbending to coax it further until the bath was filled with near-freezing cold water. The reflection of the mirror showed the back of Korra performing this action, her dimpled buttcheeks clenching and unclenching as she bended the elements. Instead of heating the water, she slowly inched her way in. As the water touched her spine, a sharp shiver ran the length of her body and she forced herself to sink in further, using a special bending and breathing technique invented by the women of the Southern Water Tribe to maintain homeostasis.

After about 10 minutes of this exquisite pain, Korra bent the water again, this time using firebending to heat it up to the brink of boiling. Korra loved a good hot bath; the hotter the better, frankly. And she sighed as she finally got comfortable, letting her thoughts dissolve with the bath salts she had poured in earlier.

*

Korra was feeling well enough to get some rest after her her hot bath, and was wearing nothing but a robe. She was bending the water out of her wet hair when a knock sounded from her door. Thinking it was Suyin coming to check on her after accidentally putting her foot in her mouth at dinner, she walked over and opened the door but was surprised to see Kuvira standing there.

"Hello, Korra. Are you busy? May I speak with you? Kuvira said.

"Oh, um, sure," Korra said. She wanted to say no, but she was already here, so she didn't want to be rude. "Won't you come in?"

Kuvira entered and sat in a wooden chair with plush coverings at a table in the corner of the room. Korra followed and took the other chair, so they both sat eye to eye. Near the table was a wall to floor length slide glass door with metal frames which overlooked the veranda and the long set sun in the distant hills. The room was lit with flickering kerosene lanterns, which gave Kuvira's severe features a soft glow.

"I never thanked you – for helping me. First in the spirit world, and then when we had our little Earth Empire adventure," Kuvira started.

"Well, I didn't do anything for you specifically; I was just trying to do what was best for everybody... and Asami," Korra admitted.

"I'm sorry to hear about you two," Kuvira said. She shifted uncomfortably in her seat, unsure of how to continue. After an awkwardly long pause, she started to say something when Korra abruptly decided to open to up.

"I was just so caught up in my self-righteousness, my sense of justice," Korra started. Kuvira nodded at her beckoningly. Korra continued, "but that's not always the most important thing. Consideration of others, the ones you love, should be a factor. I was getting sick of the people Asami interacts with on a daily basis. They're heartless and crooked and only after money; they don't care about anyone, just profits. And I know Asami's different, but I couldn't help but blurt out how much I despise those people, how I would rather sleep all night in a pit of wild hog monkeys than spend five minutes in a room with them, and Asami took it personally – like she was one of them and I had offended her," Korra rasped with an exasperated air. "The frightening thing is, what if she becomes one of them? How can I save her? And is it my place to interfere with a person's life like that?" Korra's temple pulsed at the thought of it.

"The truth hurts," Kuvira said. "Not everyone can handle it. You were being true to yourself, and you're conflicted by Asami's lifestyle the deeper you find yourself in it. I know this, because I know that the way the world is currently set up, you can't be successful without getting your hands a little dirty."

"And I HATE that," Korra exclaimed, throwing her hands up and slapping them back on her lap as soon as Kuvira finished. That motion caused her robe to slip open ever so slightly, revealing the deep v of Korra's chest and the smooth bronze of her right breast to the edge of the areola. She caught her robe and closed it, re-tying her belt. She looked at Kuvira whose gaze directed toward the distance and did not seem to notice. Korra gulped at the thought of Kuvira catching her nip slip. When Kuvira turned her head to Korra to say something else, the Avatar caught a glimpse of the glimmer in her green eyes below thick eyebrows and the well-defined beauty mark resting below her right eye.

"Anyway Korra, the reason I'm here is to let you know that I will train you," Kuvira said.

Pleased to hear this, Korra exclaimed "Thank you," and she reflexively leaned over to hug Kuvira. The Great Uniter recoiled, un-uniting their embrace. Korra noted that Kuvira wasn't a hugger, but that could always change. Regardless, now that she and Korra were entering a new relationship, whatever flame of physical attraction she was developing for Kuvira would have to be subdued and submerged in the now room temperature water from which she had recently emerged. Kuvira was now her sifu, her master.

"So when do we begin?" Korra asked, once again painfully aware that she was naked under her robe.

Kuvira's expression suddenly changed from soft to stern, as if she had accepted her new role with the honor and responsibility of a great Earth Nation woman tasked with aiding the avatar on her most important life journey. She turned and met and kept Korra's gaze, never once looking down to the divet of Korra's robe. "We begin tomorrow. Five a-m sharp."

"Wonderful," Korra said, matching Kuvira's intensity.

"That time's not going to be a problem, is it?" Kuvira asked.

"Not even a little bit," Korra said.

"Good, because I was going to say 'too bad' if it was."

"I've been training the elements for as long as I can remember," Korra boasted. "The real reason why I make it look so easy is because I ain't a slacker."

Kuvira tilted her head back and laughed unreservedly before collecting herself. "You make it look easy? Young Lady, and you are younger than me by about four years if I am correct so I reserve the right to call you that, to my eyes you look burdened by a life of constant battling either inwardly or outwardly or both. Is that the burden you carry in this lifetime, Avatar? Or will you eventually find peace, what the gurus who hide away in the lonely ruins of the old air temples call enlightenment?"

Korra reflected a moment. "I feel the burden of being the Avatar every moment – the tug and pull of needing to live up to my predecessors and the spirit and physical worlds, and at the same time the struggle to remain relevant, to constantly question whether I am relevant." But then there was the new burden of facing something dark, if not in this lifetime, surely one to come.

Despite holding back the last thought, it felt great to get this off her chest. Korra thought she could only share these types of thoughts and feelings with Asami, but now she was discovering that Kuvira had the potential to be more than just her sifu; she could also be her friend.

Kuvira got up to go.

"Get some rest, Avatar. Be ready for your first lesson tomorrow morning, dark and early."

"I said you don't have to worry about formalities; you can call me Korra."

"I know, but I'm starting to like calling you Avatar," Kuvira said. And with that, she said good night and exited the room, bending the metal door closed behind her and not even bothering to look back while she did it.

Korra sat in quiet contemplation awhile. Her thoughts naturally drifted back to Asami. Sprits, how Korra loved that woman and ached for her presence. She had no other choice but continue to suffer like this, realizing that if all that is left of her relationship with Asami was the pain of their ecstatic memories, she was happy to hold onto at least that, knowing it was not spiritual at all, this clinging to something lost, but it was nonetheless human, in which Korra unapologetically was.

She lay in bed, not bothering to throw on her pajamas but let her robe flap open, exposing her sex to the wide open room. She bent the fire from the kerosene lamps, and the room was dark except for the stars and the new moon shining through the windows. Her hand inched its way down her neck and circled around her breasts a few times before slinking down to her throbbing core. She began to rub in slow circles but sped up her pace as the thought of both Asami and Kuvira entered her mind. She turned herself over and fucked her own clit into quick submission until she came hard and redirected the energy from her orgasm to the five main channels of her body. When she regained her senses a few moments later, she cursed herself for once again giving into her base desires.


	4. Lesson the First: Forget What You Know

Korra's eyes fluttered open and she braced herself for the day ahead. Her first task – getting out of bed. Despite rising early most days to train, Korra still had to will herself awake. Outside was dark; though her room faced west, she surmised that the sun would not begin to show its bright face for another hour or so. She counted down, three, two, one, and popped out of bed, rolling onto the floor and into the standard pushup position. She began pumping up and down, breathing in and out quickly to the rhythm of her pushups. Then she switched to chaturanga pushups, her arms held tight at her sides instead of wide. After a few dozen of those, she pulled herself onto a forearm plank until she felt a nice burn and began rocking her hips side to side to kiss the ground. She wanted more of an arm workout, so she used the archway leading to the washroom to do finger pull ups, alternating the width of her grip to work different parts of her arms. Next came jumping jacks and shadow-boxing followed by a cool down with light stretches, all in the first twenty minutes of popping out of bed.

Meantime, Kuvira was just finishing up her morning routine, a combination of stretching and using her core and muscles to balance in different positions for flexibility and strength. She then made her way to the outdoor gym in the twilight of the morning, to which Korra was already waiting, petting Moo.

"Good morning Kuvira, I mean Sifu," Korra bowed her head toward closed fists.

Kuvira bowed back, closed fist meeting upright palm.

"Good morning, Avatar. Do you know why I do my hands like this?" Kuvira asked, keeping her hands in the same position.

"It means something, but I don't know what," Korra said.

Moo groaned loudly asking for more pets, but Korra laughed and told Moo that's enough for now. The giant skybison slumped, a little hurt by rejection but just as quickly got over it at the prospect of finding a nice patch of grass to graze upon, and he propelled himself upward and out of the colosseum.

"Where was I?" Kuvira said, remaining focused, "Oh yes, to me it means I'm embracing creativity with conscious control, precision with accuracy, soft with hard, passivity with activity. The open palm represents the receptive, passive; the closed, active and creative. From now on, I want you to think about these principles as balancing forces until it becomes natural to you."

Kuvira's voice was stern but also nurturing, and Korra could easily see how she wooed an army to follow her. Kuvira continued, folding her arms behind her back and pacing lightly:

"Now, a few ground rules: I expect you to try your best, always. I expect you to be on time. And I expect mutual respect." She stopped to emphasize the next point. "I am what you would consider a master bender, but am I really? Only in that I've discovered something – once I reached a certain level, I learned there's a lot I don't know, and no matter where I find myself in my journey, I am a perpetual student. That was the most humbling and freeing lesson I've learned since losing to you."

Korra blushed, not in a romantic way but Kuvira's words stirred something in her. She was only understanding glimpses of what Kuvira said, but it appeared her sifu had acquired a new worldview. The philosophical stuff was never Korra's strong suit, but she knew that to reach her potential, she had to embrace it.

"Now," Kuvira contined, bending a blob of meteorite from a nearby podium to float in between the two, "I want you to bend this into shapes, like this," she said demonstrating.

Kuvira motioned her hand and bent the blob into a sphere, a star, a tetrahedron. Korra braced herself to give it a whirl, and when it was her turn, she tried and managed to mimic Kuvira's shapes, albeit sloppily.

"Not bad," Kuvira said. "But not good."

Korra knew this but she was determined to get it right. She focused on the Earth from the strange world from whence this meteorite came and bended it to her will and lo, she contorted it to near-perfect shapes almost as seamlessly as Kuvira. Her sifu smiled.

"Now, I want you to bend it into something more elaborate – into the design on my armor."

This was trickier, and at best Korra could only create crude approximations.

"How did you do that," Korra said finally.

"Because," Kuvira said, "metal is Earth, but not all Earth is metal."

"Um, wat?" Korra said, letting her himbo show.

"Lesson the First, Avatar," Kuvira said, as the rising sun stretched the light across the open-air gym, "forget what you know. For now, anyway."

Korra was still thoroughly confused. She placed her hand on her hip and considered for a moment but did not draw any conclusions.

Kuvira continued, "You were probably bending the Earth in the metal. Indeed, that's how the great Toph Beifong, inventor of metalbending, first learned the Art. But now I'm telling you not to bend the Earth within the metal, but the metal within the Earth.

Korra still didn't understand. She scratched her temple and jutted out her bottom lip skeptically.

"How is that... possible? You're saying to bend the metal itself?"

"That's precisely what I'm saying. The outfit and the trim I wore yesterday to dinner – it was copper plated, not quite gold yet, but I'm working on it. And this..." Kuvira grounded her feet into the Earth, gathering her chi, and lifted her hand, slowly curling it forward. The frame of the platinum colosseum bent toward her but then she bended it back in place before any damage was done, huffing and breaking a sweat while she did it. Korra was shocked, her mouth and eyes agape.

"Does Su know you can do this?" Korra asked.

"Not yet. To be honest, I'm still developing this technique. It was a semi-recent discovery, and an accident. I have Bataar Jr. and his microscopes to thank for it. After our last adventure, I thought perhaps we could make amends, so I visited his lab one day. He wasn't there – and incidentally still didn't want anything to do with me -- but I was distracted by one of his microscopes and the tiny metal shard beneath it. Looking in the eye piece, I saw the metal was moving, vibrating almost as if it were alive, and as I became aware of this fact, I also became aware of feeling the vibrations. The metal under the microscope then seemed to react to my breathing, rising and falling like the moon directs the waves, so then I tried my hand at manipulating the material – platinum – and it moved for me, though with much difficulty. But it was as if something had unlocked inside of me, and I've been contemplating it ever since," Kuvira regaled her story.

"And now, you think you can teach me this method?" Korra said, still reeling from Kuvira's confession.

Kuvira shook her head. "I'll teach you what I know. But like I said, I'm learning myself, though it's very much same principle as before, except a shift in perspective, of focus." She wanted to add that she wasn't in the position to take on any pupils, but when the Avatar showed up looking beat and sorry with sad polar bear dog eyes saying she had a vision, Kuvira couldn't turn her away.

"Now, Avatar... Korra," Kuvira said lifting up the meteor. "Bend the metal in this piece of rock."

Korra braced herself and tried to focus on what Kuvira had said. Kuvira let the meteorite go, and it dropped to the ground. Korra motioned her arm toward it and lifted up. Nothing.

"Ugh!" Korra said, already frustrated. "I can't get this stupid thing to move anymore. What have you done to me?"

Kuvira let out a sly smile. "So it begins. For our next lesson, we will tackle rhythm from another angle – through dance."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to show Korra working out in the morning, lol, but also dive a little into the philosophical/cultivation side of bending, which I've always been fascinated with as an Avatar fan.


	5. Rhythm is a Dancer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kuvira gives Korra her second lesson, this time in dance, i.e., Korra tries to dance, lol.

They met at dusk by the river embankment on the southwestern side of the property. This time, Kuvira was waiting for Korra and had prepared a pit for fire with un-chopped logs stacked next to the pit and a gramophone one of the butlers had wheeled out next to the logs. They both had skipped dinner with the Beifongs, opting for an early meal in their respective rooms. Ideally, they would be at a beach, but as she was currently confined to the property, this wasn't possible. The river would have to do for now. Kuvira only hoped her pupil would understand the lesson a little better if presented like this. Korra wasn't dumb per se, but she could be a bit dense.

Korra approached and greeted her master.

"Right on time, Avatar," Kuvira said. She was seated on a log and motioned her head to the stack of wood. "Chop that wood, and prepare a fire."

Korra obeyed, and Kuvira watched as her pupil took up the axe and began swinging down on the logs one by one. Korra lifted and hammered down rhythmically, the cut of her triceps bulging with her movements. She huffed and heaved until a thin sheen of sweat formed about her, but she didn't stop until she completed her task, having stacked the logs in a way to get them to burn long and steady. Then she pointed two fingers at the pile of wood and a fire streaked out, igniting the logs.

Kuvira had been silent throughout the whole affair, but took the lit bonfire as her cue to get up and begin the lesson.

"Good," Kuvira said. "Now we can –"

"What's chopping wood got to do with metalbending?" Korra interrupted.

Kuvira shook her head and laughed. "It's not just metalbending. It's life. Besides, aren't you the least bit curious about the gramophone?"

Korra sat down facing the fire with her bare feet digging into the sand and her arms loosely cradling her knees. "You were going to teach me how to dance," Korra said.

The sound of the rushing freshwater river gushed a few feet behind them, but it was cut off by the music after Kuvira wound the metal handle on the side of the gramophone to charge it and placed the needle on the spinning disc. The record scratched a familiar tune, though the Avatar couldn't place it. But then Kuvira was up and dancing, her body thrumming to the beat in a lyrical freestyle around the fire, the shadow of the flames also dancing along her body.

"Get up and come over here," Kuvira demanded.

Korra hesitated this time. "I don't know how to do that."

"You don't dance?"

"Well –" But then Kuvira took Korra's hands, lifting her up to her feet in one swift motion.

"Do what I do," Kuvira said as she did an attitude with her leg, then shifted her hips and swayed to and fro.

Korra tried, she really did, which was what Kuvira had asked of her – to always try her best. But her movements were choppy and awkard, her hips moving one way, legs the other. Kuvira saw this and tried to keep from laughing, though it was adorable. She put her hands on the Avatar's waist from behind and slid them down to her hips and swayed the Avatar to rock with the rhythm. Korra felt a jolt flow through her at the touch of Kuvira's hands, and she thought of the night before when Kuvira could hardly stand to hug her.

Meantime, Kuvira leaned into the Avatar in an attempt to feel the music. Again, Kuvira was struck by Korra's scent – earthy and powerful but sweet, and she almost buried her head into Avatar's nape, but no! At this realization, Kuvira caught herself and pulled away. Down girl, she reminded herself. She walked over to the gramophone and lifted the needle.

"Let's try something different," Kuvira said.

"Was that not good enough?" Korra said, scratching the back of her head, though she knew the truth of it – she was horrible at this kind of dance.

"Well, no. Actually, it wasn't," Kuvira was blunt. "But that's not why we stopped. I want to try another approach."

They were silent awhile, and the sound of the rushing river and the crackling of the fire came back to the fore.

"Do you hear that, Avatar? The sound of the river, the fire, but especially the river. Can you feel it? I'm not a waterbender and I feel it."

Korra knew exactly what Kuvira meant as soon as she said it, but it was something she always took for granted as a waterbender, and in that sense it was beyond her awareness. Yes, it was the winding river. She could feel it gushing and flowing around the whole of Zaofu. It was alive.

"Yes," Korra gave a guttural moan. "It, it reminds me of home. Of my father and all of the men of my tribe performing the dance of the Water Warrior."

"And what of it?" Kuvira had begun to love coaxing Korra to talk more about herself.

"My father taught me the dance. Secretly. It was only for the men of our tribe, but he caught me practicing the moves when I was a kid, and he said that if his daughter, the Avatar, wants to learn, then she will learn because she will be the fiercest warrior in all of the Southern Water Tribe."

And?"

"That was when I was seven." Korra closed her eyes, remembering, and her body swelled up to the sound of the waves and the hissing of the flames. "And it went like this..."

That's when Korra got up and began stomping her feet and beating her chest around the fire, her body moving like water in its three forms – solid, liquid, gas. Cold to hot. She howled with the movements, high pitched groans echoing in the air.

Kuvira was shocked and a little turned on by this display. Watching Korra fall completely into character, to represent the water she bent through dance as a warrior– yes, the fiercest she's ever seen. She was compelled to get up and do her own dance – the metal dance.

They danced like that around the fire, and the gramophone was rewound and playing the record. Korra began to laugh and smile, no longer caring what she looked like or how well she danced, even forgetting briefly about her broken heart. The truth of the matter was, she was having fun and could feel the undulating waves of the river dance with her. Kuvira smiled and danced too, and Korra realized that she had never seen this woman act to unreservedly before. She finally got a glimpse of something wild and feral deep down within Kuvira, something that the Avatar herself could identify with.

Eventually, the record ran to the end and the logs out; the fire faded slowly into crackling embers. Kuvira and Korra fell to the sand, laughing. Somehow Korra's arm found itself around Kuvira's waste, and Kuvira for once did not recoil but let it linger there long enough for both of them to notice this strange intimacy and feel a subsequent tingling in their chests and loins. They started to lean toward each other slowly, neither of them bothering with a thought as they let their bodies do the talking and gravitating. Just before the moment their lips impacted, they heard Suyin's voice in the distance, and they both jolted away.

"I'm sorry," Korra slapped her forehead. "I wasn't thinking. I –"

"No, it's OK," Kuvira said. "You and I are teacher and student, and we should never have almost, well, you know." She looked at Korra's mouth again, small but inviting.

"Right," Korra said, eyes on Kuvira's beauty mark, wanting to kiss that beauty mark.

It was awkward a few moments until Kuvira remembered to bring up something she had observed earlier.

"I noticed the way you bend metal is like how you bend water," Kuvira said. "Maybe that is the key for you. Lesson the Second: Rhythm is a Dancer. Find your dance. As for me, I'm going to call it a night. See you in the morning, Avatar. Oh yes, and do clean this up."

"OK. Wait, you want me to what?" But Kuvira was already off.

***

Back in her room, Korra was restless trying to fall asleep. She was too horny and heartbroken. Again she found her hand making its way south to where she gave into the throes of passion in her mind. This time she took her time, imagining Kuvira's strong hands caressing her full brown breasts, kissing her from her nape to her nether region where she sucked and lolled, and, and... "Ohh" Korra breathed out as she came, rivulets of come falling between her legs. Then she drifted off to sleep.

Meanwhile, Kuvira also pleasured herself in her room. She thought of Korra at first, remembering the dance from earlier and Korra's open robe and exposed breast the night before. And the fact that it felt wrong made her want to do it – her – even more, and hard. But then Opal popped into her mind, and the thought sent her in a tizzy. She bent a piece of meteorite over her clit, then proceeded to vibrate it, forming a dildo with the other end that pumped in and out of her pussy. She imagined ramming her makeshift dildo into Opal and then the Avatar until they exploded in ecstasy. And when her thoughts turned to Korra doing the same to her, her body shuddered as she came. She breathed heavily into her pillow and lay there a moment before collecting herself.

Someone knocked at her door. Korra? No, the Avatar had a sure hand. This was a timid knock. So who was it then? "Just a minute," Kuvira said from the bed and made sure she was kempt before walking over and opening the door. She was shocked to see Bataar Jr.

"Hello Kuvira," Bataar said.

"Hi," Kuvira said, taking on a soft tone. He was not someone she expected to see, and she hadn't even thought of him in a while. But still, it was a pleasant surprise.

"Can we talk?"

"I'd love to," Kuvira said and motioned for Bataar to enter. She noticed the metal dildo in the middle of her bed and quickly crumpled it back into a blob before Bataar saw it. The door closed behind her former fiancé and for the first time in ages, they were alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was a really fun scene to write and probably my favorite for a day until I wrote the next one.


	6. Ache

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We turn to Asami's side of things in Republic City.

Meanwhile in Republic City...

Asami Sato sped her way across town in a red sport Satomobile, top down, long black hair flying in the wind. She zipped through the streets, weaving in and out of traffic, turning this way and that until she heard a siren blare behind her.

She looked in her rearview mirror and rolled her eyes behind her sunglasses to see a Republic City cop struggling to keep up and desperately signaling her to pull over. Great, Asami thought and abruptly pulled over to the right in an abandoned parking lot. She nonchalantly checked her appearance in the mirror – her red lipstick resting atop pouty lips were smudge free, though her hair was a little wilder than usual. She took off one of her riding gloves and combed a manicured hand through her jet-black hair and flipped it out and over her shoulder just as the copper approached. And, son of a fire ferret, it was –

"Mako?!" Asami was incredulous before remembering her annoyance for getting pulled over. Mako brooded over her in his grey uniform, dark hair smoothed back and raised jagged eyebrows with red irises glaring at her.

"Asami?" What the? I mean Why are you driving like that? Where are you going in such a hurry? Is something going down?" Mako was ready to call for back up and jump to action, but Asami motioned that it wasn't a life or death, Team Avatar-type of emergency.

"I would say it's good to see you, but I'd be lying if I said I appreciated getting pulled over. What are you doing handing out speeding tickets? I thought you were back on the detective beat?"

Mako started to respond but paused when he got a good look at Asami, who was wearing a black leather sport jacket with the sleeves rolled up and collar popped and the Future Industries gear logo above the left breast. Underneath she wore a little red shift dress that came up to mid-thigh and was bunched up in the seat, one side sliding down her leg as Asami shifted it upward to angle herself toward Mako. She lifted her sunglasses to rest atop her head and her big green eyes shone back at her old friend and lover.

Mako blushed at the sight and desperately tried to keep from looking at her thigh. It had been ages since he got laid, and he had heard through the spirit vine that she and Korra had called it quits. But still, he couldn't. Things were different now. Oh yea, and he was working.

"I am a detective, but I'm covering a shift for one of the guys. This was my old beat, so I'm doing it for old times' sake... plus Chief Beifong ordered me," Mako rubbed the back of this neck. "Anyway, where are you going? And.. new look?"

Asami adjusted her skirt. "Listen Mako, it's been nice catching up and all, but I'm running late for a very important presentation."

"Of what?"

"This," Asami said, motioning all around her to the ruby red coupe. It was unlike the clunky design of old Satomobiles; the sides were smooth and round and ergonomically designed for speed, style, and comfort. "I'm presenting this car, a new model, at a conference, like NOW; so, if you excuse me, either write me a ticket, or let me go. Please," Asami said, tapping her fingers on the wheel.

"Whoa, whoa," Mako held his hands up defensively, "I don't know what's with the sudden 'tude, but unfortunately, that's not a proper emergency, and so I am going to have to write you a ticket. I'm sorry Asami. I have to be fair and just."

Asami rolled her eyes and put her glasses back on. "Whatever. I guess I'm not surprised. Well, do you mind if I change my outfit while you write it? I was going to change there, but now I won't have time."

"I guess –"

But Asami was already out and walking around to the trunk of her car where she had an extra pair of pantaloons. She slipped out of her boots and shimmied the pants up her thighs and under her red dress. Then she lifted the dress over her head to reveal a flimsy black tank top. Mako buried his head into the little ticket notebook, scribbling furiously.

"Hey, uh, what's your address?" Mako asked, as Asami put the leather jacket back on and zipped it up to the top of her chest.

"Oh, you don't know it by now? You know, the one your whole family stays at rent-free?"

"Oh yeah! I remember now," Mako blushed but then he remembered himself. "Hey, I have a duty to treat every citizen of Republic City the same, no matter what or who."

"Blah, blah blah," Asami grabbed the ticket from Mako as she made her way back to the driver's seat of the car and plopped back in. "Mako it's OK. I can afford it."

That was rude, Mako thought. It wasn't something Asami would normally say.

"OK, that's enough, Asami. I know you're probably going through a hard time because of your breakup with Korra, and –"

"You can stop right there," Asami held up a hand.

"What I mean to say is I'm here if you need somebody to talk to," Mako said, leaning onto the side of the car as Asami started it. She revved her engine.

"I'm running late. Check in on you and Bolin soon!" Asami said and zipped off to be a boss business lady.

The truth of the matter was she missed Korra deeply. These last three weeks were as torturous or worse than the three years she spent apart from Korra after the incident with Zaheer and the Red Lotus. The ache was unbearable, but Asami dealt with her emotions differently than her hot-headed girlfriend. She was no stranger to suffering, first with the loss of her mother, then her father, and now Korra again. She was trained that no matter how much it burned, to the outside one must appear strong and not overly burdened by emotions. That was the mark of a strong leader, her father had said.

She remembered the public appearances and press conferences she attended with her father as a young girl after her mother died. Her father seemed so strong then, and she likewise learned by observing him through the crack of his office door late in the evenings, the stench of strong spirits – the boozy kind – heavy in the air and her father's face buried in his arm, crying and drinking the nights away for his lost beloved, that this type of pain was meant to be suffered alone so as not to burden those around the sufferer.

And so, she pushed her yearning for Korra aside and plunged herself into work and, more and more, into life's dangerous and idle pleasures, only stopping during the lonely witching hours of night to mourn her loss.

The CEO sped her way to the convention center, which rested on the bay where the ocean met the city, and presented her new designs to the public and to investors.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Writing about sexy Asami teasing flustered Mako was just so much fun.


	7. Speakeasy, Love Hard

After the presentation, everyone was scrambling to get a piece of the heiress turned CEO. Thank the spirits Asami had hired an assistant to field most of her questions, a cunning woman of 26 named Daisuke who was extremely detailed and savvy with public affairs. Asami wanted strong women flanking her at all times and permeating the powerful positions in her company, and she likewise wielded her influence to scaffold young women and girls into positions of leadership and self-reliance.

Asami winked at Daisuke and gave her a thumbs up, thanking her before slipping away behind a secret door only a handful of people knew about, though it hid in plain sight. Varrick had owned this facility and designed several secret doors and rooms and hallways leading to even more secret rooms and straight to the bay where his yacht was docked because he thought it was fun and cool. No doubt Zhu Li – now President Moon – had arranged all of it back when she was Varrick's assistant. Asami never forgot Varrick's insensitive but bitingly true wisdom that people only see what they want or are expecting to see, and so she was able to slip away with nary a person noticing her, except for, of course, the man himself – Mr. Iknik Blackstone Varrick-Moon.

She walked down a narrow hallway that led to a private car garage for important guests. As she approached her car, she heard Varrick's voice call from behind, and she stopped short, crossing her arms and turning around. She was about to say something snarky to the man who once betrayed her but later became an ally out of necessity to save Republic City from total domination, and perhaps even annihilation by Kuvira, but stopped herself.

Varrick stood there, tall and lanky as ever with longish wavy hair parted to the side and a thin mustache on either side of his long face; he was smiling in that goofy yet sly way of his. Next to Varrick stood a slightly taller and broad-shouldered man with khaki skin and wavy dirty blonde hair, a five o'clock shadow, and hazel eyes. The man was smiling at Asami not quite eagerly, but hopefully if not expectantly.

"Asami, this is Chai Son. He wanted, no -- had -- to meet you after your marvelous presentation. He's interested in starting a racing team here in Republic City." Varrick cleared his throat and not so subtly snorted "cough, investor, cough, big money, cough cough, handsome and rich eligible bachelor."

With that last retort, Asami shot Varrick a stern look that suggested How dare you? And How did you know?

Varrick leaned in, patting Asami on her shoulder and whispered in her ear, "I knew everything that went on in this city before my wife became the president." He turned back to the man and clapped his hands together in a renewed burst of energy. "Now, what do you say," shall we all rendezvous tonight at say, eight o'clock?"

"I would love to discuss business with you – in a casual setting – and besides, from what I hear, you also love racing," Chai Son added. He smiled at her, confident. "I was a gear head and paint licker growing up, and I remember clearly the day my parents came home with a Satomobile; I was an awe-struck little boy – yes, I admit I grew up privileged, but I never cared about money. I just wanted to drive."

This was enough to pique Asami's interest. All of the investors so far only wanted to talk mass production of family station wagons and trade with other nations, never expressing interest in what she considered her art. To take her mind of her dull but steady heartache, she relented. Maybe a night out in town with Varrick and this mystery man would keep Asami from pining for her. The CEO wondered about Varrick's motive of this little arrangement – he had divested most of his assets when he became the First Gentleman after all. She would have to be on guard but had also learned that this world she moved about required a certain sensibility, and she wasn't about to be fooled by this genius eccentric inventor again.

Asami sized up Chai Son, handsome enough but not her type.

"Alright, I'm in."

"Great, I'll have a driver pick you up," Chai Son said.

Asami tilted her head back and laughed. "I have my own. Thank you, though."

"Fair enough," Chai son said. He motioned to open the door for Asami who accepted this act of chivalry and strapped in before taking off to her next destination.

*

Asami was a busy woman. Her days were mapped out by her assistant Daisuke. And her next appointment was in the exercise arena of her mansion. She had built an elaborate training facility on the open grounds of her property that she and Korra could both use, and had designed obstacle courses to level up her abilities and test out new tech to help with Team Avatar missions. This she balanced with good old-fashioned martial arts training, and at 3:00 p.m., her chi blocking lesson. Just because Equalists used chi blocking didn't mean it couldn't be leveraged for self-defense against dangerous benders and non-benders alike.

She had used the same logic for her trusty shock glove, which she had subsequently improved the design by making the voltage adjustable. And she had tested the newer model on Korra, adjusting the voltage to a low hum which emanated from her fingertips to the back of Korra's neck and trailed down down downward, sending the Avatar in a state of ecstasy. That was then, anyway.

After her chi blocking lesson, Asami went to get ready, stopping by the kitchen for a quick meal before heading out. The chef had already known Ms. Sato would do this, as she had taken nearly all of her meals on the go or standing over the large kitchen island since moving back to the mansion. Grandma Mako and all the cousins and aunts and uncles had eaten a bit earlier and were wandering about the mansion doing whatever it was they did.

"Hey Asami," Tu said, popping his head into the kitchen as he walked by. "You're all jazzed up. Looking good!" How could he not notice how stunning Asami looked in a strapless red dress, stiletto heels, and gold hair clip that kept part of her hair from falling onto her face.

"Hi Tu, thanks, yup I'm all gussied. Got a nighttime business meeting," Asami said, hovering over her plate of food she had been eating and expertly, through experience, not smudging her makeup.

Tu didn't realize business meetings could start this late and entailed looking this sexy, but he also never had any money, so how would he know anyway? He said, "Have fun" and bounded off back into his own world.

*

Asami's driver escorted her to meet up with Varrick and Chai Son. She arrived at the address and stepped out in a black velvet shawl and matching clutch. It was a Fire Nation food restaurant operating out of a dilapidated building on the far east side of town. The street was dark and abandoned except for the bright light emanating from the restaurant and a dimly lit lamppost with Varrick and Chai Son waiting underneath. They were both dressed to the nines, Varrick leaning against the pole with his Southern Water Tribe-styled tailor-made suit and Chai Son in a suit and top hat, leaning on a finely crafted cane. They looked like high-end hoodlums standing there, and Asami joined the posse, swinging her hips as she walked. Not that she did it on purpose, that's just how she walked whenever stilettos came into play.

"Asami, you are looking stunning as usual," Varrick said.

"Agreed," Chai Son said, smiling at her and stepping up to grab her hand and kiss the back of it.

"Shall we?"

Asami nodded and allowed herself to be led by these two men, one who she knew well and hardly trusted, the other who she did not know and did not yet trust. Even in heels, she was shorter than Chai Son unlike Korra who she towered over. She noticed for the first time that Chai Son walked with a limp and used the cane as an actual crutch. She got a closer look and realized it doubled as some type of sheathed weapon, likely a lance or something to that effect. They entered the building where all of the sudden the place was bustling and packed with wall to wall patrons eating Fire Nation dishes. Asami was wondering where they would sit. Of course she wasn't hungry because she already ate, but she wondered whether someone next to her would accidentally elbow her or spill tea on her very expensive outfit. She stopped worrying about this soon enough, because the men walked right past the dining area and toward the back near the bathrooms. There they found a stairwell and followed it down to another door, leading into a broom closet.

"Alright, everybody in!" Varrick said.

Asami unhooked her arm from Chai Son. "I'm not squeezing in there with you two!"

"Relax, Asami," Varrick tried to assure her. He winked. "It's bigger on the inside."

They all clambered in and Varrick pulled the door closed and all went black. She could feel Chai Son's chest gently heaving in and out next to her and smell his cologne, the same scent her father wore. One of the two men sounded a patterned knock and moments later the wall, or rather, the cleverly disguised door opened. A bouncer stood at the other side and said "Password" in an unlilted tone.

"I got it!" Varrick said. He leaned toward the bouncer, "Two croaks of a badgerfrog."

"Correct," the bouncer said and let the posse pass.

They entered an entirely different scene from that of upstairs. The place was smoky and dimly lit save for spotlights on the stage in which a beautiful woman with a black beehive hairdo crooned sultry jazz tunes with a big band behind her. Everybody, it seemed, was all gussied up and drinking a fluorescent green drink she wasn't used to seeing. That's because it was banned in Republic City, and this was a speakeasy that sold bootleg Cactus Juice. It made sense now why Varrick came without his sweetheart. The President of Republic City couldn't be seen at place like this.

The three were greeted by a hostess.

"I have an eye for money, and you are looking expensive tonight," the young woman said sizing them all up. She motioned for the them to follow her and seated them front and center. A cocktail waitress wearing all black lingerie came around took their order.

"I'll have a Firewhiskey Gold, aged 25 years," Asami said.

"That's a good year," Chai Son said. He smiled. "I know because that's when I was born. We'll take two, unless... Varrick, what are you having?"

Varrick contemplated the trajectory of his night and said, "I'll start with a fresh lychee juice! Gotta get a little bit of nutrients and hydration in – not to mention the sugar rush! Then I'll move onto a small – and I mean TINY – glass of room temperature water to wash it down but not send me flying to the bathroom every five minutes. Followed by one of those –" he leaned in toward the waitress, "green teas."

The waitress finished scribbling Varrick's order into her notepad and turned to Asami and Chai Son. "And for the two of yous... do you want Green Tea as well?"

Chai Son looked at Asami who shifted in her seat. She thought about it but decided to play responsible. "No, thank you. Just the Firewhiskey for me," she said finally.

"I'll pass as well," Chai Son said, going along with Asami.

"Hey, you're no fun," Varrick said to the both of them.

"Smoke?" The waitress asked them.

"Cigar. Ember Island," Chai Son said.

Asami and Varrick shook their heads.

"Awe c'mon, don't tell me you're going to judge me for enjoying a fine cigar?" Chai Son shrugged his shoulders and smiled innocently.

"Did you know," Varrick chimed in but looked at Asami, "it was a propaganda tactic to get women to take up smoking in Republic City? Picture it: The Modern Woman. Seriously! Until not too long ago, men typically did the smoking and women carried the babies. Women smoking was UNSEEMLY. It wasn't until someone came up with the genius idea to make smoking an act of rebellion for women in the pursuit of equality, and marketed that toward women. Next thing you know, a whole new demographic is buying 'em! In other words, don't give into the hype Kiddo!"

"Thank you, Varrick," Asami said, genuinely. For the first time that evening, she felt at ease around those men, and she relaxed a bit in her seat.

The waitress came back with their first round of drinks and Chai Son's cigar as the jazz singer was finishing her set. Everyone, including the waitress, erupted in applause for the singer, Laney Rindhouse, who thanked the audience and left.

Chai Son lit up his cigar and puffed it leisurely. The smell, once again, reminded Asami of her father, and her heart ached.

"So, Asami. Ms. Sato," Chai Son began, "I'm here to make you an offer."

"And if I refuse?" Asami said, teasing him a little. Why not?

"Then I would return from whence I came, ashamed... and heartbroken," Chai Son said lifting one hand from his cane and placing it on his heart.

Sort of like me, Asami thought. "OK, then. Shoot, and make it quick," she said.

"I'm starting a racing team, and I want Satomobiles to be the cars we race," Chai Son said outright.

"Interesting, Asami said, sipping her Scotch. "And what makes you think I'm going to just let you use my brand for your team?"

Varrick, meantime, was slurping down his lychee juice, listening.

"Because," Chai Son said. "I want the team to be called Future Industries but for you to name the model after me. And I of course would build the thing to specs and find my racers. We would lead the way to the future of racing, and in the future, everything moves fast.

"Think about it, Asami. You make the fastest car in the world, and prove it... Your clout is going to rise exponentially, and Future Industries will go down in history as being the kind of car worth driving. Think of it as an investment," Varrick said.

"And what's in it for you," Asami turned to the First Gentleman.

"I just need to get back on your good side," Varrick said. "And plus, I need someone to vicariously live my life through, business-wise. That is, until my wife is no longer the president and I can be full steam ahead again. Phew! These good deeds are weighing heavy on my conscience! Varrick wiped his brow and motioned for the waitress to bring him his next drink."

The next act came up, a burlesque troupe of busty women. The big band played a zesty tune and they all lined up then broke off into smaller groups and, one by one or two by two or three, performed their routines.

Asami and the men enjoyed the show, and Chai Son caught Asami ogling one or two of the girls awhile and he smiled at her tastes. It was true, Asami was sort of smitten by the performances, blushing when one of the women came up to the front edge of the stage and directed her ass toward the CEO's face. Asami became flush and once again felt the pang of missing Korra because, had the Avatar been there, she would have grabbed her girlfriend by the arm and led her to the darkened alleyway to make out and be fucked quickly and powerfully in the way that only a person who knows her body intimately could do her so efficiently while she bit into Korra's nape muffled screams from hard finger fucking curling up and pressing and rubbing all at once and without reservation. Best of all, it was the smug and satisfying looks on their faces guarding their dirty little secret when they returned to any function after a good fuck. It was the smell of their fingers after being inside of each other, and the way they were always touching, in private and in public, appropriately and...

"Do you want to know what happened to my leg?" Chai Son broke Asami's listless daydream about Korra.

"OK," Asami said. Saying no would have been rude anyway, but aside from that she was actually curious.

"I was in an accident when I was 13 that crushed my knee," Chai Son began before adjusting his seating position and taking a puff of his cigar and continuing, "I was a runner when I was a kid – that was my first love, but all the same my father lost more, his life. He was driving us back from a trip to the infirmary. I had taken a fever and needed to be rushed in for immediate help. My primary doctor was on vacation at the time. And I never noticed the bend my father incidentally missed on the way home because I had whined of the uncomfortable soreness of fever on the muscles. After the crash, I couldn't run anymore, and I didn't have a father. I was afraid of cars for a long time too, until one day, when I was 17, I conquered my fear and drove. I realized racing brought me closer to my father, closer to the edge, and for the first time, I no longer regretted not being able to run. So now, Why not drive the car that killed my father? One day they will look back and say 'the rest is history.'"

Chai Son's story stirred something in Asami, and she turned to him with sincere empathy.

"I'm So sorry that happened to you," Asami said. And in a Satomobile. "Even though it was years ago, you have my deepest condolences."

"A lifetime ago," Chai Son said.

"I lost my mother when I was young; she was, someone... killed her," Asami said. She hardly brought up her mother to strangers. What was she doing opening up to this guy?

"I'm sorry, Asami Sato, for your most tragic loss," Chai Son put his hand on hers, which rested upon the table. They looked each other in the eyes and Varrick watched this exchange. He gulped down his tiny glass of water in one glug.

Finally, a solo act that was part of the burlesque troupe featured role playing where one of the women, pretty but more voluptuous than muscular, came out dressed like Korra. She twirled red and blue boas to signify fire and water, and slowly stripped away her bindings until her boobs hung out with tassels on the nipples which she twirled and shimmied forward, again toward Asami's direction. This was a little too much for Asami to take, so she excused herself briefly to the ladies' lounge and freshened up.

By the time she came back, she had already made up her mind.

"I'll take a cactus juice," Asami said and motioned to the waitress who came promptly. "One, green tea please."

"Make that two... oh and put everything on my tab," Chai Son chimed in.

Such a power move, Asami thought. This was certainly a business proposition, but was it also something else? She thought about it for a moment and couldn't decide. Part of having a healthy sexual appetite was that she was always hungry, or rather, thirsty.

The Cactus juices came out and the three held their drinks up to cheers, maintaining firm eye contact. They gulped it down and made faces to suggest their surprise when it didn't taste half bad.

"No taking it back now," Asami said.

"You got that right!" Varrick said, and let out a brief and unhinged laugh.

"C'est la vie," Chai Son said.

Suddenly, the doors busted open and in rushed a squadron of Republic City police.

"Freeze," one of them yelled. "Everybody stay calm and no one gets hurt. I need to see ALL of your IDs. NOW."

The room turned topsy turvy. Patrons and performers and hosts scattered about higgledy piggledy and it was everybody for themselves, except for Asami's posse. She had to think, and fast. The cactus juice would soon be catching up to the adrenaline coursing through her nervous system. To be honest, none of them could afford being caught like this, so he had no choice but to...

"ID," a Republic City cop, a burly woman, stopped at their table and demanded.

"Listen, officer," Asami started, slipping her gloved hand into her clutch and attaching the shock button she brought in case of emergencies to it.

Varrick wound up like he was about to give a speech, but before he could get out a word, Asami placed her hand on the officer's neck and zapped the hell out of her. She fell to the ground, paralyzed like a fly that accidentally buzzed into a heat lamp, unconscious but alive.

"Wow!" Chai Son said. "That was imp-" But his excitement was short lived because another cop was headed their way.

"Whaddya say we get out of here!" Varrick said. It wasn't a question but a statement. "Follow me!"

The two followed Varrick quickly to the trapdoor at the side of the stage, the one nobody noticed amidst all of the hubbub, and they escaped into a maze of dark and dank tunnels.

"Where are we?" Asami was floored by the events of evening, and truthfully was beginning to feel a little woozy, but also GIDDY.

"This is Fire Nation Town," Varrick said. "It's crawling with secret places like this to run away from people like that. That's where I got my idea for secret rooms and hallways in my buildings. Plus --" Varrick pulled out a button and pushed it. A lonely train car on what appeared to be abandoned train tracks appeared. "Hop in!"

"Did you bring that button knowing we would use it tonight?" Asami said, following his lead onto the train with Chai Son trailing behind.

But by now, Varrick was laughing with reckless abandon. "Hang on to your cabooses Kiddos!" And with that, he pushed a button, and the cart propelled forward. Magnetic tech. Varrick was a genius and a mastermind, Asami had to admit that about the guy.

The train rocked forward and the black scene stretched before her. And next thing she knew, she was seeing shooting stars. Chai Son was giggling about some sort of inside joke to himself on one of the seats and Varrick amused himself with pushing buttons, making the train go this way and that.

The lights inside the train flickered off, and everything went black, and when they flickered back on, Asami was straddling Chai Son in his seat, and Chai Son's hands were resting on her waist just above the curve of her ass. They were making out, no love swelling in Asami's chest whatsoever, just feral lust and cactus juices flowing in their veins.

*

Meantime, Mako entered the scene through the secret entrance of the Fire Nation food restaurant. The patrons had long scattered, and he was cleaning up the aftermath, following the clues of what went down and talking to witnesses and cops. Turns out the person this sting operation aimed to nab had escaped.

He carefully stepped through the wreckage of the crime. People who were arrested were being interviewed but so far no one was talking. It seemed they all knew better and had stuck to a code. This made Mako want to figure out what was going down behind it all.

Outside, the ambulance was about to wheel away one of the arresting officers. She was out of sorts but conscious enough to talk to Mako.

"What happened?" Mako asked.

"Two men and a dame, rich and powerful types. I asked them their info and bam, next thing I know, I'm waking up in this bed sometime after being knocked out," the officer mustered from the bed. She was not yet bandaged, and Mako could see a round burn mark on her shoulder – as if she had been electrocuted. He recognized this kind of mark...

*

The three rich hoodlums emerged from a platform that led to an alleyway in the ritzy part of town way on the Upper West Side. High end boutiques selling and displaying all sorts of women's and men's fashions lined the streets. And they pranced around three abreast causing a ruckus on cactus juice. The occasional person or couple who crossed their path made sure to steer clear of their shenanigans. And, stopping in front of a window with dummies sporting boutique Fall fashions, Varrick tried to grab a trash can but failed because his dainty arms could not lift it. Luckily, there was a rock next to it, which he lifted and propelled at the window which crashed and left a gaping hole.

"Shall we?" Varrick said, holding out his arm for Asami to grasp.

"Whoa! What did you just do? We can't just –" Asami protested.

"What? I own the place! A man has a right to smash his own window!" Varrick said.

"The man's got a point!" Chai Son agreed, tapping his cane. "Here, here!"

Asami could but did not care to argue with that. Instead, she laughed and linked arms with them once again, as they approached and smashed an even bigger hole with the heels of their boots and stiletto. Then they climbed in and had a look around. Aside from all and every shape contorting before Asami's eyes, she would say these were some classy and chic threads.

"Varrick, I didn't know you had an eye for design!" Asami called out toward wherever he had wandered off. But then Varrick's voice responded.

"Yea! Everything came easily to me as a kid – business, engineering, invention – so I decided one day to take up a real challenge: fashion!"

Someone grabbed Asami's waist from behind and pulled her toward the same heaving chest as earlier, breathing more heavily this time. Kisses peppered her neck, and she felt a rush flow down her spine toward her groin, and she realized she needed to fuck ASAP.

They were corralled by Varrick to the back office that led to yet another secret door and tunnel system. Varrick pulled out a walky-talky from the drawer of his office and pushed a button and spoke into the receiver.

"Zhu Li, come in. I repeat, come in Zhu Li. Over."

"Yes, dear," the walky-talky sounded in the voice of Zhu Li moments later.

"Do. The. Thing! Over."

"Yes, dear."

"Oh, and Zhu Li, I love you, and I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with you. Over."

"I love you too, Varrick my darling. Now get over here because I miss breathing the same air as you. Over."

And with that, Varrick bid Asami and Chai Son adieu and exited through the secret door. They never got to see what the Thing was, but both of them could guess. They gave each other another mutual look of lust and almost fucked right there on the office table but somehow managed to make it back to Chai Son's high-rise luxury apartment that overlooked the whole of Republic City.

But neither of them were looking out the window by the time they got to Chai Son's. Asami could feel the wetness collecting in her loins, but she still needed a little more convincing.

"Touch me," she demanded Chai Son. At that, he put his hands on her breasts, moving one up to gently cup around her nape. He took the back of his other hand and grazed her flat stomach, which made her pulse. But still, she wanted more. Then she began hallucinating what she craved, and a light burst out in all directions in the room, Chai Son contorting into Korra's form temporarily until his stubbly faced roughened up against hers and downtown to her pussy, her hands grasping his wavy tendrils like reins of a chariot as he lavished affection on her throbbing bud. And by that point, the sensation was enough to lapse into the sober present before remembering she was hallucinating all the while. She rocked her hips on Chai Son's face, who was on his knees while she stood. She felt a little bad for the poor chap and his bum knee but then realized she was treating him to fine caviar, and he didn't seem to complain but rather ate it up like he was new money. Finally, they made it to the bed and he fucked her doggy style trying to supply his soon to be business partner's demands to fill her up Harder until he eventually ran out of gas and collapsed on top of her.

*

Hours later, Asami groaned "Korra" and flipped over to wrap her arms around her bedfellow. A broad-backed, snoring fellow it was, not the name she had just uttered, the woman she loved. She fluttered her eyes open and sat up on the side of the bed. She was naked and still mildly hallucinating from the Cactus Juice though sobered up to what had just transpired.

Asami pulled on her clothes and tiptoed out of the room and the apartment. Like Varrick, she also had toys peppered throughout Republic City, one of them a sport cruiser motorbike in a garage a block away. She did the walk of shame down the street carrying her stilettos in her hand. She thought that if there ever was a time to smoke a cigarette, it was now. Finally, she made it to her motorbike. A helmet and a leather riding jacket and gloves were kept in a nearby locker, and she used her secret code – Korra's birthday – to open it.

The garage door opened and out came Asami on her bike as the darkest hour of night fell upon the sky with the setting moon and unrisen sun. She wended and wound her way to the outskirts of Republic City on the cliffs overlooking the ocean and craggy abyss far below where the waves shuddered against the Earth; she cranked her right hand toward her, faster, faster, faster, to the edge.

Finally, she drove a few miles outside of the big city to a wooded area bursting with spiritual energy and came upon a gated house, not nearly as large as her mansion but sizeable all the same. Asami pulled out a skeleton key and unlocked the gate, sliding it to the side; then she pulled in the driveway. The gate and columns structuring the home were encircled with climbing spirit vines.

She entered the house and didn't bother to flip on the lights but let her feet lead her to the master bedroom upstairs. She knew the place well enough because it had more or less been her country home with Korra all these months. With the both of them feeling crowded on Air Temple Island and the Sato mansion respectively, and tiring of sneaking around to fuck (and really wanting to be as loud as they could muster, screaming their pleasure to the spirits and surrounding fauna), they found themselves in this place more often than not and had built a little sanctuary away from the demands of Republic City.

The bedroom was simple -- more or less empty, save for the massive bed in the middle of the room underneath the window that overlooked the open sky. The bed had four large posts that rose high toward the ceiling. Climbing spirit vines had somehow made it to the room as well and had stretched across the ceiling and down and around the posts. Asami had surmised her constant lovemaking with Korra had attracted the vines toward this particular direction because Korra was the Avatar after all and had developed a new relationship with the spirits after Harmonic Convergence and after creating the new spirit portal in heart of Republic City.

Asami lay on her side of the bed and curled into the fetal position, closing her eyes and imagining Korra's strong arms and warm center cradling her. Tears fell down her face, her makeup was amess and it no longer mattered. She cried then, unreservedly, for the spirits and all the neighboring animals to hear, and had never in her life felt so alone.

After a spell, she pulled herself back up and walked over to the office and sat down at the secretary. She pulled open a drawer to dig out some stationery and drew a match to light the kerosene lamp. Then she dipped her pen in black ink and began "Dear Korra..." and poured her soul onto the paper until the sun rose, slowly at first but just as suddenly it seemed, for when she next lifted her head it was broad daylight.

She sealed the letter in an envelope and poured hot wax on the back, stamping on a gear with the initials AS in the middle. She flipped the letter around and kissed it, then passed out onto the secretary with the kerosene lantern still flickering into the day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The alternate title to this long chapter is called "The Edge."


	8. Brother on the Beat

The next morning Mako was sipping coffee and reading the paper, the Republic City Herald Tribune, in his modest studio apartment. He had pulled a double the day before and had to work again today – it seemed his whole life was all work and no play lately, though if he was being honest with himself, he missed Korra and Team Avatar. Regardless, his detective work had him investigating something fishy, and possibly big. He just had to put the pieces together.

The headlines for the day included a brief mention of the speakeasy bust. They had confiscated all the cactus juice in the building, nearly two tons. But still, that was nothing in the larger scheme, and there was no culprit to pin it on, nor leads to follow, and the eyewitnesses had all been mum. 

The tech and business section featured a large spread of Asami presenting the future of Futures Industries in the form of the luxury sport car he had pulled her over in yesterday morning alongside another model, a sedan station wagon designed for families. The headline read, “Sato unveils new rides, carries on father’s legacy to the future.”

Mako turned to page 6, which again featured Asami Sato, except she was pictured with two other men, one of which was Varrick and the other a man he didn’t recognize. Off to the side was another, smaller picture of Asami cozying up to the unknown man. The headline read, “Sato seen with new boytoy” and the subhead underneath read, “Future Industries CEO, First Gentleman and playboy racer paint the town.” 

The three of them, Mako thought to himself. Interesting. And who was this mystery “playboy racer” anyway? 

Just then, Bolin burst through the door, causing Mako to jump and spill some of his coffee.

“Good Morning, bro!” It wasn’t even 7 and Bolin was already high on life.

Mako was wiping coffee from the picture of Asami and company on page 6.

“Bolin, how many times do I have to tell you to knock first before entering? Even if I don’t answer, that little heads up gives me a sec to collect myself.”

“Awe, I’m sorry bro.” A loose piece of hair dangled between Bolin’s big green eyes, which asked forgiveness from his brother in the familiar way Mako had seen his whole life. But Bolin was just as quickly distracted by the picture of Asami in the newspaper. “That’s Asami and Varrick, and, and… who’s that other guy? Is that Asami’s new boyfriend?! What happened to Korra? Are they broken up? Tell me it’s not true!” 

“Relax, bro. Yes, it’s true as far as I know. But I’m pretty sure Asami’s not on the market. This headline is just too razzle dazzle,” Mako said crossing his arms. 

“Good,” Bolin said. “Because I have something REALLY important to share with you. And I wanted you to be the first person I tell, because, well because you’re the most important person to me in the world, aside from…” Bolin blushed. He crossed over the cramped studio, trying not to hit things on the way to the kitchen, so he didn’t have to be all but straddling the door as he made his announcement. Bolin wasn’t quite tall as he was broad, perhaps a little too broad for this tiny space. He took a deep breath and continued:

“I’ve been doing a lot of thinking, and I know what I want to do with my life.”

“Oh, and what’s that?” Mako said skeptically but also noting how serious his brother seemed this time around.

Bolin reached into the side of his shirt, bumping a dangling pan on the way, and pulled out an engagement ring with a, you guessed it, turquoise opal stone. Bolin had a gem bender craft it for him. 

Mako lifted a crooked brow. "You proposin' to me bro?"

“No, silly." Bolin laughed, continued, "I’ve been living on Air Temple Island awhile now, and I love it. The food, the spirituality, the Kids. I know I’m an earthbender but I want to be an air acolyte. And… a stay at home dad. Basically, I want to be Pema. And I’ve decided to propose to Opal! Isn’t that great?”

Mako was deciding how to react, but he loved his brother, and sometimes that meant telling it to him straight.

“Bo, you and Opal have been on the fritz awhile now. You hardly see each other to begin with.”

“Yea, but I love her, and maybe this will convince her to move to Air Temple Island and fulfill her airbender duties there. I just want to support and be there for her any way I can.” Bolin deflated a little.

Mako got up and placed a hand on his brother’s shoulder. “I support you bro. You’re a good man. Any gal would be lucky to have you. And, you know what, I gotta admit you would make a great air acolyte. And father.” He thought of the absence of their own father growing up and perhaps connected Bolin's eagerness to that in some part, though he had to admit his little brother would be great. A pushover and a softy, sure, but probably the best dad in the world otherwise. 

“Yay!” Bolin clapped his hands together and gave Mako a big platypus bear hug, causing him almost to spill his coffee again.

But in that instant Mako realized something. He leaned over the picture of Asami, Varrick, and the mystery man and recalled what the officer said to him the night before about getting knocked out by a rich dame and her two male companions. 

“Asami!” Mako said. 

“Yes, that’s Asami,” Bolin added.

“No, I mean, the woman at the speakeasy who knocked out the officer yesterday… it was Asami! I knew the mark on the officer’s neck looked familiar.” And now I need to know who this mystery man really is, Mako thought to himself. He motioned toward the tiny closet by the door and grabbed the top of his uniform and threw it over his tank top and rushed out the door. “I’m on the beat, Bolin. Good luck and lock the door on your way out!”

With that, Bolin shrugged and poured himself a cup of mango juice – he didn’t drink coffee – and sat down to read the paper, turning straight to the funnies and chuckling to himself as he read.

*

Back in Zaofu, Suyin was also reading the Republic City Herald Tribune. They got this and other large publications in Zaofu daily. The publishers in town received a nightly word for word telegram which covered the day’s news and printed it fresh to be delivered to doorsteps first thing in the mornings. Suyin read the paper every day to keep her pulse on what was happening around the world, plus it was a way to spend valuable time with her husband in the mornings before they both ran off to fulfill their respective duties. 

Suying got to page 6 and said “Oh dear.” She placed the paper on the table face up as Korra approached, sweaty after finishing her morning training session with Kuvira.

“What is it?” Korra said. But then she leaned over Suyin’s shoulder and saw exactly what Su meant – the picture of Asami being handsy with some guy.


	9. Rough Sparring

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Korra works out her frustrations in a sparring match with Kuvira, and sexual tensions are finally released.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Warning: violence, bondage, explicit sex, but NOT violent sex.

Korra picked up the newspaper to get a closer look at Asami and the mystery man's body language. She scanned the story, and blood rushed to her head and she became hot all over. She crumpled the paper, turning it to flames and then ash in her hands as she made a guttural yowl. Without saying another word, she stormed off.

Hours later, Korra was still in a rage. She had found a semi-hidden nook in the botanical gardens to brood and imagine beating that mystery man to whom Asami made ‘come fuck me eyes’ to a pulp, but of course that would never happen because she was the Avatar after all and had responsibilities. How frustrating to always be the good guy, even when so much of the world thought she was bad no matter what she did. 

The more she sat there, the more Korra imagined Asami in Republic City with that guy, imagined guys throwing themselves at her – but only the most confident and charming and rich ones. Ugh! And especially knowing how much she craved physical affection, Korra realized Asami always went for whatever or whoever she wanted. She couldn’t bear the thought of her girlfriend putting the moves on that rich dork, though nothing had been confirmed, and she knew from personal experience the way the papers often ran sensational stories. Still, Korra recognized those eyes. 

That’s it, Korra thought to herself, and she ran off to find Kuvira.

*

Kuvira, meantime, practiced bending purer metals at the open-air gym. A platinum disc about six inches in diameter was suspended in the air and rotating slowly in front of her. Bending of this caliber required absolute focus and concentration. 

But then Bataar Jr. entered her mind. Again. He had visited her room the other night and, innocently enough, they stayed up all night talking. She wasn’t sure what this meant or would eventually lead to, and she thought it was what she wanted -- Bataar finally reinviting her back into his life -- but now things were different, and so was she. She realized he couldn’t fully satisfy her emotionally and sexually, though she felt guilty for the position he was in, all because of her. This led the former Great Uniter to wax nostalgic in her mind about a time long before she received that nickname – back when they were kids and she was constantly dragging Bataar into trouble. Even then, he was always loyal to her, never once ratting her out to his parents and even taking the fall when she had played instigator. Her heart swelled with love for him in that moment, but it wasn’t romantic love she was coming to terms with. She loved Jr. as a dear brother. 

Of course, the platinum disc had long fallen to the ground. Kuvira knew she had too much on her mind. Not just Bataar but Opal too, as well as the mounting tension between her and Korra. 

Korra burst into the gym and walked with purpose toward Kuvira.

“Me and you. Right here. Right now. Sparring. Let’s GO!” Korra sounded, pounding her fists together.

Kuvira was confused, but if the Avatar wanted a fight, she wasn’t about to deny this woman her wish. But first, she wanted to make sure her pupil hadn’t cracked.

“What’s going on Korra?” 

“I got a lot on my mind, and I need to work out my frustrations,” Korra said. She started up with footwork, shadowboxing. “So are you in, Master Kuvira?”

Of course Kuvira was in. She needed some aggressive fun to likewise take her mind off her frustrations. She nodded at Korra and they began circling each other forming their respective fighting positions and maintaining steady eye contact. Kuvira had blobs of meteorite floating at the ready in her immediate vicinity.

“What are the ground rules?” Korra said.

“Rules are, you do whatever you need to keep me from kicking your butt, Avatar!”

“Fine!” Korra said. “Safe word?”

Kuvira laughed. “Just don’t kill me, and I’ll try my best not to kill you. Either that, or tap out.”

“Deal!”

They continued their dance in a battle of tension until Kuvira made the first move; she formed a whip out of one of her cuffs and flung it at the Avatar. Korra dodged right, but the whip grazed her arm. “Ah!” Korra yelled, and a sliver of blood trickled down. 

“I thought you were going to bend one of those blobs.”

“You thought wrong.” And Kuvira was on the attack again, sending one of the blobs to cover Korra’s eyes and bind her wrists, but Korra was wise to this trick and redirected the metal like water to Kuvira who stopped it just in the nick of time by bending good old fashioned Earth up from the ground to block it before it could wrap around her like a metal net.

“Very good!” Kuvira said. “But not good enough!” 

And with that, she bent another one of the blobs into tiny needles and, with precision, aimed them at Korra’s pressure points. Korra bent a heavy gale that sent the needles flying, and she hopped on an air scooter, zooming around the colosseum before using the scooter as a boost to flip in the air and kick a fiery blow to her opponent below as she came in hot to close range. Korra figured that if she could get up close to Kuvira, she could handle her better.

That’s when they did a little dance, fighting hand and fist and elbow and knee. Korra threw an elbow and Kuvira dodged it, throwing in a left hook and swinging metal toward Korra’s face while she was at it. Korra leaned back as the metal hook swung over her, and she did a low kick to swipe Kuvira’s legs. Kuvira fell to the side but caught herself and pushed herself back up just as quickly. They rose simultaneously but Kuvira had already fashioned copper knuckles from her armor and slugged Korra in the gut. 

Korra fell back, clutching her gut but luckily her abs were rock solid to begin with, so she recovered just as quickly. She blew a strong gust of wind that sent Kuvira flying across the gym and scraping against the dirt floor. Some of her black hair unraveled from its braid at the sides and loose strands dangled about her face. 

This sent Kuvira in a rage, and she bent the platinum disc she had been practicing with along with the copper of her armor toward her opponent, binding the Avatar’s hands and legs and wrapping around her body and up her neck. Korra was powerless to bend these types of metals, but nonetheless the bindings squeezed her tighter and tighter until she felt like popping. The platinum and copper chaffed against her legs and arms and chest. There was nothing left to do but go into the Avatar State. Korra’s eyes glowed white and she used her power boost to lift herself high in the air with three of the four elements revolving around her as she used brute strength to break from bondage. But just as Korra broke away, Kuvira bent it back and in new places and knots, and so they played this little tug of war awhile. Finally, Korra was out of options and was about to pass out from asphyxiation, unable to tap out because her hands were tied. That’s when she finally became aware of the vibrations of the metal and closed her eyes to focus. The metal began to loosen and she bent it off of her and crumpled it to the floor. Kuvira had, at some point, plated herself in full metal armor and had flown up to meet the Avatar’s white gaze with wild eyes, now bending the very platinum frame of the outdoor gym toward the Avatar with all of her might. The gym collapsed around them and they both fell in the rubble. 

*

They were both out for a second or two, Kuvira a second longer than Korra, and Korra used that time to crawl over to her opponent, who was partially buried beneath the debris, and check on her. Kuvira opened her eyes to see big blue eyes gaping at her and felt a hand cradling the back of her neck. This was not the first time she had awoken in Korra’s arms. The first time was in the Spirit World after Korra had saved her from the mecha spirit blast and subsequently created a new spirit portal in the heart of Republic City. Her chest swelled with longing and she was no longer thinking but leaning up and simultaneously pulling Korra’s lips to hers.

The kiss caught Korra by surprise though it was not unwelcome, and she opened her eyes wide at first but then closed them slowly and leaned into the kiss, moaning as she felt heat collecting in her sacrum and rushing to her head and chest. 

She leaned Kuvira back and pulled away from the kiss to mount her, as if to show that she won the sparring match. But then Kuvira flipped Korra over, and climbed atop her, not so much pressing against her but straddling her, hovering on hands and knees, one hand balancing on a fallen piece of platinum, the other tracing down Korra’s center from her neck between her breasts atop the bindings and down her belly toward the most sensitive nether area. Korra moaned at this slight touch before Kuvira leaned back in and muffled her moans with more kisses, this time sticking her tongue in to penetrate her mouth. They teased their tongues awhile, and Kuvira began to grind and rock her hips against the Avatar as Korra snaked a hand underneath Kuvira’s sweat pantaloons and underwear, where she played with the hair down there and slowly encircled Kuvira’s clit, exploring her hole with one and two fingers. Kuvira groaned into this, gripping the platinum harder until it molded to her hand. 

Neither of them could bare to be clothed any longer, despite the jagged debris about them. They quickly undressed, Kuvira helping Korra out of her shirt and bindings, and Korra shimmying out of her bottoms. Kuvira lifted her tank top over her head to reveal gorgeously perky breasts and a hard yet gracefully feminine form. Korra’s large breasts almost took Kuvira aback. She knew Korra was curvy atop her muscular form, but she did not know what it looked like underneath. They were both covered head to toe in scratches from the sparring match that broke the gym. 

Kuvira buried her head in Korra’s breasts and suckled one then the other. “Mmm,” Korra moaned, threading her hand through Kuvira’s messy hair. 

“You have pretty hair,” Korra said, gripping it hard and then loosening her grip just as quickly.

Kuvira sensed Korra’s aggression in her grip and met it with a gentle nibble of the nipple with her teeth. “Ahh,” Korra said and Kuvira worked her way down and kissed Korra’s lips beneath her bush. Korra’s scent was even more powerful down there, and Kuvira could no longer contain herself but plunged her tongue toward Korra’s bud.

Korra rocked her hips up and once again threaded Kuvira’s hair, pushing down almost forcefully. Kuvira’s hands raked Korra’s abs as she worked her clit with her tongue, pressing and then sucking. Then she took a hand and pressed two of her long, strong fingers inside of Korra’s pussy, feeling the walls clench around her as the Avatar tensed from Kuvira’s attention to her sensitive spots, and she curled her fingers upward, pressing against the padded spot that sent her in a tizzy. Kuvira got a rhythm pumping her fingers in and out of the Avatar, tongue still fastened to the clit, when Korra announced she was coming. Kuvira kept doing what she was doing but with more vigor until The Avatar exclaimed “OH,” and came all over Kuvira’s hand and mouth. Kuvira kept licking though with less pressure as Korra rode out her orgasm, then she raised her head up to meet the Avatar and kissed her, Korra lapping up her own wetness from Kuvira’s mouth. 

Korra looked at Kuvira as the haze of orgasm wore off and said “Thank you. I needed that. And now it’s my turn to give you what you need.”

Kuvira nodded her head and soon she was inching her way up Korra’s body with her bottom half, sort of waddling upward and squatting over Korra’s face. Korra placed her hands on either buttcheek as she got a good view of Kuvira’s wet pussy hovering inches above her. Kuvira lowered her knees to either side of Korra’s face and slowly dipped down to Korra’s eager tongue. Korra got busy on Kuvira’s clit and Kuvira was moaning in that deep sultry voice of hers, head tilted back and hands finding places to grip as the pleasure from Korra’s tongue consumed her. She came in Korra’s face just then and growled, “Oh, Avatar!” but Korra did not relent but kept up the assault on Kuvira’s clit gripping her ass cheeks with strong hands to keep Kuvira from instinctively lifting away. Kuvira’s eyes rolled to the back of her head and she let out a low hum as Korra focused on getting Kuvira her second orgasm, which happened suddenly again but more intensely as come seeped onto Korra’s face. Kuvira pulled off and lay next to Korra, her chest panting heavily with the aftershocks of orgasm. 

“Spirits,” Kuvira said, still catching her breath. 

“I’m the winner. I made you come twice,” Korra said, smug smile draped across her face. 

Kuvira had the urge to go another round and show Korra who’s boss but figured someone would be there momentarily to check on them amid the rubble of the collapsed colosseum. 

Korra leaned over and draped her arm across Kuvira’s breasts. She scooted closer and curled up next to Kuvira’s ear and whispered, “Well that happened.”

Kuvira stroked Korra’s forearm gently. “Yes, it really did.”

“So what next?” Korra said, licking Kuvira’s ear.

“For one, I think we should get dressed before someone comes." 

“Someone already came,” Korra said. "Twice." 

“You know what I mean,” Kuvira chuckled. “But for two, I think… we should remain friends.”

“Friends?” Korra said. This was the first Kuvira had ever mentioned anything of the sort to Korra, and it made Korra briefly swell with happiness. She was silent a moment. 

Kuvira mistook Korra’s reaction as disappointment.

“Not that I didn’t enjoy this, and I certainly needed it. I think you did too, hehe, but… you know this would never work out, right?”

Korra laughed. “Kuvira, I agree. I think we should be friends. And I agree, anything more would not work out.”

Kuvira smiled at Korra who reciprocated. Korra popped up and lent a hand to Kuvira, lifting her up in one swoop. They were both still naked with wild hair and covered in dirt and cuts with bruises surely forming. They finished putting their clothes on just as Suyin entered with Wei and Wing. The boys and Suyin’s jaws dropped at the display. How could they have done this?

“Are you girls OK?!” Suyin said. “What happened here?!”

Wei and Wing started bending what they could to clean up the mess, but the platinum remained. 

“We fought. Nobody won. No big deal,” Kuvira said.

“We’re fine,” Korra said. “Also, sorry about the gym.”

“You don’t look fine,” Wei retorted.

“Yeah, you look tore up!” Wing added.

“On that note,” Korra said, “I’m going to get healed up. Care to join, Sifu Kuvira?”

“Why certainly, Avatar Korra.” 

And they both limped off, arms leaning on each other’s shoulders for support as they headed toward the washroom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, folks, I tried.


	10. Asami's Resolve

Asami locked herself in her office at Future Industries tower, freshly built after the disaster that befell the city a little over a year ago. 

Her office took up nearly an entire floor and was oval shaped, providing a panoramic view of the city, though she had the shades drawn and the lights dimmed. It doubled as a living space for when she worked late nights and was too tired to go home.

Her head pounded with regret combined with cactus juice hangover and a lack of sleep, and she lay horizontally on the couch with one leg dangling off the side, ruminating. 

The phone rang and she mustered up all of her strength to make her way to her desk to answer it. 

“Mr. Mako is at the front desk and is requesting to meet with you,” the secretary sounded through the tiny speaker. 

Ugh, Asami was in no mood.

“Tell Mako I’m not taking guests today, and I’ll catch up with him later,” Asami said. It was a power move, but she was too tired to deal with that man and his likely booty call. Asami had of course noticed the way he ogled her the morning before, and she even teased him a little for sport, but she didn’t expect him to act on it. 

The phone rang again.

“Yes?” 

“It’s Mr. Mako. We tried to tell him you were unavailable but he insists it’s important; it’s about the news.”

Great, Asami thought. Somehow she knew it wasn’t about her presentation at the car convention. 

“Tell him I have an important meeting, so that’s not possible today.” Asami hung up and she didn’t hear the phone ring again for a minute or two, which relieved her.

Yes, she saw page 6 and was humiliated, especially knowing everybody would see it – Tenzin, Pema and the kids on Air Temple Island, the folks in Zaofu, and Korra. She shuddered at the thought. 

The phone rang again. Asami, annoyed this time, picked up and before she could rebuke Mako vicariously through her secretary, she heard “Mr. Chai Son is on the line for you. Shall I tell him the same thing I told Mr. Mako?”

Asami considered it, but relented. She needed to clear the air with this man first and foremost.

“No, I’ll talk to him.”

“Standby.”

“Asami Sato,” she said once she heard someone click in on the other line.

“Hello Asami,” Chai Son’s voice said softly in her ear, the voice of a man who was perhaps also tired and hungover. “I was sad to see the other side of my bed empty when I awoke this morning.”

Asami propped herself atop the desk and twined the telephone cord around her finger. 

“Well, thing is, I have to tell you something,” Asami said. “I’m not sure if you read the papers, but –” 

“I read them, and so? I’m not concerned about a gossip column.”

Asami wished she could agree but instead sighed into the receiver. 

She continued, “What I mean to say was last night was a riot and all, and also thank you very much for the pleasure, but – “ 

“You’re welcome,” Chai Son interrupted. “Can I give you more sometime?

Asami blushed.

“That’s the thing – No. You can’t. I’m emotionally involved with someone. I should have told you that,” Asami said finally.

There was a pause on the other end before Chai Son simply said “I see.”

“I’m sorry if I led you on. Let’s just chalk it up to fun and try to move on.”

“Very well,” Chai Son said. “I have to say I’m disappointed, but that’s OK. It was fun, I’ll concede to that. Either way, I’m still interested in the business proposition, even if it’s sans pleasure.”

Asami considered a moment, but she had already decided the night before.

“Chai Son, I’d love to start a racing team with you.” Asami took a sip of hours-old coffee that sat at her desk. The burnt flavor jolted her senses briefly. 

A clap and a Woo sounded from the other line, but then Chai Son regained his composure and calmly said into the phone, “Splendid. I’ll have my people draft up paperwork, you know the drill. I look forward to the future, Ms. Sato.” 

They hung up, and Asami stood up and walked toward the window and opened the blinds. Bright natural light flooded the room and she recoiled. After her eyes adjusted, she stared out into the abyss at the water and the still leftover destruction from Kuvira’s giant mecha tank. Her office directly faced the new spirit portal, the one that she and her love stepped into as they embarked on their lives, together. Now that her business had been sorted out, it was time to tend to other affairs, and at the apex of importance was reuniting with Korra. Asami’s heart stirred at the thought of them together again and for a moment, it was as if they were standing there together overlooking their vast domain.

It would take at least a few days for the letter Asami wrote to reach Korra, and then there was no guarantee she would respond. That wouldn’t do. Asami decided then and there to take a little road trip to Zaofu to see Korra and win her back. She would leave as soon as possible, likely first thing in the morning after a long night’s sleep. Almost as much as she craved Korra’s arms around her, she also needed the relaxation of a long drive to clear her head.


	11. Waiting for Love

Bolin helped Pema prepare food for all of the airbenders and acolytes on Air Temple Island. It was a big job and he marveled at Pema’s ability to handle all of that plus a squad of feisty airbending children.

Pema stirred a massive pot of vegetarian soup that had been slow cooking for nearly twenty-four hours, and next to her were piles of noodles. 

Meanwhile, Bolin rolled little balls of sweet rice dough around sweet bean curd and popped them in the oven. The trays of already cooled buns were ready to be served, and he plated them up and brought them out as appetizers to Pema’s famous noodle soup. 

The benders and acolytes sat about the dining hall, chatting and laughing in their little cliques. This lifestyle had more or less become routine. About half of the new airbenders lived at the Southern Air Temple and the other half at Air Temple Island. Tenzin was master at home, and Jinora ran the Southern Air Temple, where she trained acolytes in the nuanced way of a well read young lady whose spiritual powers made her wise beyond age. She had read of gurus who lived in isolation in the mountains and astral projected her body to search and appear glowing before them as they sat in the lily-lotus position meditating or practicing ancient esoteric techniques long lost to the rank and file of society. The Gurus had venerated the spiritual powers of this young Airbender, Avatar Aang's granddaughter, and heeded her call to come down and help her teach. 

Opal lived at the Southern Air Temple with Kai and Bumi when she was not off on missions, though Bolin had long wanted her to move to Air Temple Island. 

Ikki and Meelo fluttered into the kitchen to help serve the food. Kya trailed behind them and bent the liquid base into the respective bowls, which had been lined up and filled with home-made noodles. The savory smell wafted up Kya’s nostrils and she couldn’t wait to serve the kids out in the hall because then it would be her turn to eat. Elders in the Southern Water Tribe typically ate their first few bites before the rest chimed in, but her airbending side taught her to serve others first so they in turn would want to reciprocate or pay it forward. 

Finally, Tenzin walked in, tall and bald with sky blue arrow tattoos along the five primary energy pathways of his body. The arrows signified the flow of chi and thus the source of airbending and all life for that matter. He scooped up the plates and brought them out along with the kids, bending way down to kiss his wife as he walked by. Pema’s youngest, Rohan, was seated at one of the tables with his nanny, a young acolyte, and Naga and Pabu were off running amok somewhere on the grounds.

As Bolin prepared to sit down and finally enjoy his bowl of noodles, he got a telegram from Opal saying she was going home to Zaofu for a few days before heading to Air Temple Island. And that she was looking forward to talking. Bolin deflated at this news. Opal was supposed to come straight to Air Temple Island after her last mission, but he tried to convince himself that a few more days of waiting was no big deal. He slurped down his noodles; the soup warmed his bones but not his heart.

Just then the door of the dining hall blew open and Tenzin led a young woman Bolin had never seen before in and toward his direction. As they approached, he tried not make it obvious he was looking at her ebony skin and wild, fancy-free hair that bunched outward in all directions. Her nonchalant gait caused a reaction in Bolin against his will, and the noodles slipped from his chopsticks, splashing in the bowl. 

Bolin looked up at the woman standing next to Tenzin. She smiled at him with voluptuous lips and big hazel eyes. Blushing, he tilted his head down and speedily slurped his noodles so his mouth would be too full to speak and say something stupid, which he tended to do in these situations. 

Tenzin introduced her as Sanyu, a new airbender who came from a distant land not on the map. She had heard rumors of this place and the son of the Avatar from a wise man in her tribe, and after unlocking airbending after harmonic convergence, she followed her fate.

Meelo slid in and, with a wide toothy smile, introduced himself to the “beautiful woman” and offered to show her around the grounds. Get the lay of the land. 

Sanyu seemed taken by Meelo’s charm and followed the skinny little boy with a big head out of the kitchen.

“Wait, aren’t you hungry?” Bolin called after them, but they had already sauntered off.

*

Kuvira sulked in her bed despite experiencing the sweet relief of orgasm and a good beatdown with a worthy sparring partner -- and friend -- the day before. Korra had done healing work on her but still, she ached, though the physical ache was second to longing.

Suyin rushed in to announce Opal had been spotted far off in the southerly horizon riding in on Juicy, and if she wanted to greet her, then she better get moving. Before Kuvira could decide, let alone respond, Suyin was off to greet her baby girl.

Kuvira almost hobbled up to follow but stopped herself. Be cool Kuvira, she thought. Better do what she normally did whenever Opal came around -- Nothing, at least until they crossed paths or Opal came calling. Any extra attention would be strange and Opal would see through it immediately. For most of her life, if she wasn’t ignoring Opal, she was terrorizing her until later trying to make amends under the pretenses of peace as the Great Uniter. By then, it was too late, and Opal reproached Kuvira every time they crossed paths. If Kuvira was a feral child, Opal was a sassy little one. She looked frail and sweet and innocent, but Kuvira knew Opal’s real side, the side that snapped back at the slightest provocation. Don’t think her little airbending spiritual training had made her any less of this person, the brat who Kuvira formerly couldn’t stand. She chuckled to herself at the thought. In the end, that’s partly why she had come to love Opal. Opal wasn’t pathetic. 

In that moment, she realized her mind crossed a boundary without realizing it. Love Opal? Her heart contracted and swelled again, launching a flurry of painful endorphins throughout her body and rushing up to her head. The feeling, she recognized, was lovesickness, and it hurt and simultaneously felt good.

Kuvira loved Opal, and it took Korra to help her fully realize it. And yet, she had no idea whether Opal felt the same way, or even if Opal liked women romantically; this was not something she observed in Opal growing up, and she was in a long-term relationship with Bolin after all. But who was Kuvira kidding? She knew Opal long enough to recognize when Opal was over something, be it a toy or a phase or a love. Yes, she decided the best way to prove her love was to let her love come to her, or else live forever in unrequited torment.

Even if Opal did reciprocate, it didn’t mean she was ready to act or even accept her own feelings. Though Kuvira had primarily made a habit of going for and getting what she wanted, something told her to wait for this one.

*

Asami drove. Up hills, down valleys, along coasts. It was the first time she felt a shred of peace since separating from Korra. The thought of reuniting with her great love along with the wind skimming her top-down convertible gave her goosebumps. 

Life had quickly turned agrarian not far outside of the suburbs of Republic City. It was a relief to remove herself from all the hubbub, but still she was a city girl, and so that’s where she belonged, though her heart was currently in Zaofu.

As she wound around and up a mountain, more of the beautiful valley with patches of nutrient rich agriculture revealed itself below. Far off in the distance the rushing fresh waters eventually gushed into the sea. And riding parallel to the very road she paved were train tracks that eventually snaked off to various trade routes.

Asami had to admit she appreciated the fact that she could drive to Zaofu at all was thanks to Kuvira and how she, during her three-year campaign, united nearly the entire Earth Kingdom, except Republic City, building roads and train tracks and bringing clean water and the technology to filter it where ever she went. Not only was the Earth Empire united, it was also connected. Too bad Kuvira was also a power-crazed dictator who killed Asami’s father.

But now that there were roads connecting all of the Earth Kingdom, soon-to-be Republic, there were also vastly more opportunities for Asami to expand her company (and she had already profited off of these new infrastructural advancements immensely). While her father had been wildly successful in his tragic and villainous lifetime, Asami realized she would far surpass him, just like the first time she beat him at Pai Sho when she was only nine years old, and how she beat him nine times out of ten thereafter.

The next thing worth winning was not a thing, but a woman, an Avatar. Korra. She couldn’t wait to once again “breathe the same air” as her, as Zhu Li had said to Varrick through the walky-talky during their cactus juice adventure.

I’m coming for you, baby, Asami projected her thoughts outward, and shifted gears to spiral down the mountain back to sea level, and onward toward the love of her life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was inspired by Marcus William's fanfic concept "Avatar: The Legend of Abioye" and decided to give a nod to his world building (both with purer forms of metalbending and the mysterious African-inspired continent not on the map).
> 
> Edit: If you are interested in signing the petition to make Avatar Abioye canon, check out this link: http://chng.it/fct7bLBTgB


	12. Midnight

Korra and Kuvira were bending a piece of platinum back and forth, practicing feeling and flowing with and impressing upon the vibrations of the metal. They were out in the courtyard, and behind them in the distance were the ruins of the arena with its crumpled mass of platinum.

Korra had improved considerably since she and Kuvira sparred and fucked. Nearly getting murdered by her sifu unlocked bending abilities, and getting fucked by her was incidental. Regardless, both of them were over it, that is, after their healing session in the sauna where Korra had worked her waterbending hands on Kuvira’s aches and pains. 

The sensation of the cooling water was jarring at first, contrasting the heady heat of the spa, but tingled and became deeply satisfying once Kuvira relaxed and breathed into it. Knowing Korra’s hands were inches away from Kuvira’s bare skin, sweaty from the sauna with nothing but a towel covering her nakedness made her hot. She unraveled her towel and let it fall open before placing a hand over the Avatar’s, guiding it downward. 

Korra let herself be led while she continued to heal, cool water following suit. They reached their destination at Kuvira’s sacrum, chi penetrating her like she was getting fucked by it. Kuvira rocked her hips against Korra’s hands, moaning quietly. She leaned over to meet the Avatar’s lips and kissed her. Korra moaned into her friend’s mouth, their low hums comingling and buzzing throughout their bodies.

They took their time making out and touching each other in the hot sauna, sweating out their impurities and working out what was left of their sexual tension. 

Kuvira bent the platinum with the perfect form of a dancer, her long lean arms molding it like dough before spitballing it back to Korra who hovered it between her hands awhile before separating it into two spherical shapes which she held aloft and shot back toward Kuvira. The metal stretched, spiraling into a rope which Kuvira caught and wrapped around her wrist and forearm in one fell swoop.

“Good job, Avatar!” Kuvira said. 

“Thanks, I have a pretty good teacher.”

Kuvira decided in that moment to bend a platinum arm bangle for Korra to wear for added protection. Plus it looked cool. Korra bowed and accepted her gift, bended it around her upper arm. 

“Did Su say anything to you when she found out about the platinum bending by the way?” Korra said.

“She said it was bound to happen with me eventually. Don’t forget, she was my teacher.” Kuvira smiled. “I just happened to surpass her.”

Bataar Jr. had been strolling around the property chatting with his little sister Opal. As they crossed paths with the women, they both looked at Kuvira and smiled, Bataar rubbing his overgrown soul patch as a nervous habit and Opal tucking one side of her bob behind her ear and biting the bottom of her lip.

Kuvira exchanged glances with Opal and her head got hot; her heart pounded heavier, and she tried desperately to maintain her composure in front of everyone. She looked over at Bataar Jr. and realized he was also giving her a similar look, and she tried not to recoil. She needed to figure out how to tell him that she loved him as a brother, and not – 

“Hi there!” Korra waved her arm at them teasingly. In all of their goo goo eyes with Kuvira, they forgot to acknowledge her.

Opal turned toward Korra. She was petite, her frame accentuated by the form-fitted Air Nation jumpsuit she wore. 

“Hi Korra. Do you want to try out some coordinated airbending techniques with me later, maybe?”

“You bet,” Korra said. “How’s Bolin, by the way?”

Kuvira fastened her eyes to Opal and eagerly awaited the answer. 

“He’s… Bolin,” Opal said. “No, I mean, he’s good. I’m going to see him in a few days. Just figured I’d stop home first.” She shot Kuvira another glance, and Kuvira half-cocked a smile before catching herself. This time it did not go unnoticed by the Avatar, though Bataar did not seem phased. 

Korra wondered if there was something going on between those two but decided to drop it for now. Bolin was her buddy after all. 

Large guttural moans bellowed and two massive shadows passed by as Juicy and Moo flew overhead, tumbling in the air. They made what appeared to be flying bison laughing sounds, and Juicy’s tongue hung out of his mouth, saliva spraying all over the people talking below.

Yuck! They all wiped themselves, Bataar Jr. removing his glasses and cleaning them with his shirt. He glanced at Kuvira who looked radiant as ever; she became more beautiful as she got older.

“I have some things I want to show you in the lab, Kuvira.” Bataar managed to say. “If you’re interested.”

“Of course I am, Bataar,” Kuvira said. She noticed Opal coming to the realization that her brother was no longer mad at Kuvira. 

And in that moment Opal shut down her subtle, yet powerful flirtatious vibes toward Kuvira, noticed especially in their absence, and turned to Korra.

“I see Juicy and Moo like each other,” Opal said.

“A lot it seems,” Korra said.

The two skybison were still tumbling about and in the backdrop was the destroyed arena.  
“So, one of you going to tell me what happened to the gym?” Opal was no longer looking at Kuvira. Anywhere it seemed, except for Kuvira.

“They’re metalbenders. REAL metalbenders now,” Bataar Jr. answered, though he hadn’t been there, thankfully. 

Neither Korra nor Kuvira minded Bataar’s assist. They didn’t care to explain the incident further. 

But then Kuvira stepped in toward Opal to regain her attention and looked at her in the eyes and said “Remember I told you about the metalbending technique I had been working on?”

“Bend the metal in the Earth, not the Earth in the metal,” Opal said looking up and keeping Kuvira’s gaze.

To Korra, for a moment it looked like they were going to fuck right there. This was not looking good for Bolin. Bataar Jr. definitely noticed the heat between them this time as well.

“Um, well, I just realized I have to check on something in my lab. I mean, I have to get back to work.” Abruptly, he turned and walked off. 

“Bataar, wait!” Kuvira called after him but he didn’t turn around. 

Opal had watched her brother storm off and shot Kuvira a tense look and said “I have to go to. I have to – help my mom with something.” And then she abruptly glided off like a flying lemur bat.

“Opal!” Kuvira called after her, but she was gone. 

“Hey Korra, let’s stop for the day. Great job! OK, see ya!” Kuvira said. And she trailed off toward the house.

Korra stood there alone, scratching her head. What just happened? Oh well. She shrugged and bent the platinum disc from the ground to a platform containing various types of metal, which she and Kuvira had just practiced bending. 

Moo and Juicy had migrated to the ground and were cuddling in the grass over yonder. Korra smiled. She missed having Naga around to play with, missed Asami to cuddle with.

*

A letter slipped under Kuvira’s door. It was from Opal.

“Meet me at our spot in the Botanical garden. Midnight.” 

She wrote in neat but subtly passionate handwriting in the way the words were evenly spaced, but the characters tilted slightly, craving to be touched. It was signed with a heart, which Kuvira didn’t know how to interpret. Either way she became flush with anticipation but also filled with the pang of dread. She hated her insecurity over love and wasn’t used to somebody else having power over her in such a way. 

But Opal, after all these years, had finally been the one she could open up to about almost killing her parents as a child before being shuttled off to live with Suyin where she felt like more of a ward than a daughter. It was something that ate her up inside but she was too young to understand her own anger and why she threw destructive feral tantrums for no apparent reason. 

Opal, in their long talks beneath the moonlight at their quiet spot in the garden beneath a latticed canopy, had come to be a confidant to whom she could tell almost anything, unlike in their child and young adulthood where it seemed Opal judged everything Kuvira did. She didn’t care of course, and did the things anyway, but that’s something that would likely never change about her. Kuvira would always be true to herself. No matter what.

*

They met at midnight. Opal was already waiting, twirling a flower in her hand as Kuvira walked up. She stood up and put her hands behind her back and leaned forward and said “hi” in a breathy tone. Then she unveiled a flower and handed it to Kuvira. It was the same kind that ornamented Kuvira’s outfit and grew wild in the area, supposedly a weed but containing a beautiful and pungently sweet aroma that bloomed at midnight. Kuvira feigned surprise but not delight and leaned down to smell it in Opal’s hands and look into her eyes and subsequently sense a slight shudder in the airbender.

But the air was chill. The wind had been sharp and biting, the autumn moving in gradually but forcefully. Kuvira wished she had brought a jacket, just so she could drape it around Opal. Alas.

Instead she pulled out the same flower, an origami version of it crafted out of copper. 

“I worked on this one awhile,” Kuvira said.

“Thank you. I love it!” 

Opal draped her arms around Kuvira, and having only recently opened up to being touched, hugged her back, slightly at first but then firmly all of the sudden, warm bodies pressing together.

Kuvira inhaled deeply at the scent, at the feeling. And when they pulled away, they sat down and talked and laughed and flirted that way. Finally, Opal brought up her brother. It seemed she had been waiting for the right moment to breech this topic.

“What’s going on with you and my brother? Are you getting back together?”

“Bataar?” Kuvira said. That was a dumb question. She knew who Opal was talking about, but it gave her enough time to decide on an answer. She decided to be forthright. “Bataar and I are – were – talking again. But I realized I see him the same way you do, as a brother.”

“Oh,” Opal said, relaxing once again next to Kuvira, but then: “Does he feel the same way about you? I mean, see you as a sister?”

Kuvira turned away. It was a rhetorical question, and one with the slight edge of protection over her big brother. “No. I don’t think so. I honestly don’t know what to do about it. I don’t want to hurt him anymore.”

“You have to be honest with him. He can be a big whiney baby but he’ll be stronger for it.” 

Opal placed a hand on Kuvira’s, which had been resting on her thigh. Kuvira looked down at the hand atop hers and she felt a buzz from this subtle touch. 

“To be honest,” Opal continued. “I’m glad.”

“And what about Bolin?”

“I, I, don’t know.” Opal retracted her hand, and Kuvira lamented bringing up the block head at all. 

Opal paused awhile. “I think I’m going to break up with him. That’s actually why I came here first – I wanted to talk to you, and be sure.”

“What do I have to do with you breaking up with Bolin?” Kuvira was playing dumb, but inside she was on fire. 

“You tell me,” Opal said. She scooted closer to Kuvira, this time leaning against her. They gazed into each other’s eyes, and both were shaking as their chests hummed. 

“The wind,” Kuvira said. “It’s too much. Shall we go inside?”

But Opal had responded with a kiss, draping her arm around the other woman’s neck. Kuvira lifted her hand to graze Opal’s back, and they made out awhile as their passions escalated.

A rustling in the bushes startled them, and they jumped back to look in the direction of the sound. There was Korra, looking awkward as ever and blushing at the sight. 

Korra had recently discovered this spot and was feeling restless, so she decided to take a midnight stroll to the canopy where she could brood in solitude. But instead she caught Kuvira and Opal, kissing and caressing each other like long lost lovers.

“Korra! What are you doing here?” Kuvira said. But then she said, “Awe screw it. You caught us.”

“Please don’t tell Bolin!” Opal said. 

“Um, you two… I’m going to… bye!” Korra aborted the scene swiftly, abandoning them as they had abandoned her earlier that day.

*

The next day, Korra reflected on what she saw in the garden as she took a walk around the property to get some fresh air. She was both upset for her pal and intrigued by this behind the scenes budding romance. She thought she was master of the art of quietly flourishing love with Asami, but now she had some competition. But also, who was she to judge? She once, long ago, put the moves on Mako while he was still dating Asami because she believed love came above all else. And she still did.

Korra sighed and decided to stay out of this love triangle or square or pentagon or whatever it was.

She bounded back to the main house and as she entered, one of the guards approached her. He handed her a letter.

“Mail for the Avatar.”

Korra recognized this stationery and flipped over the thick envelope to see Asami’s initials burned in wax. Her heart pounded.

“Thank you,” Korra tried to keep it together in front of the guard. Then she slipped away to her room to read the letter.


	13. Reunion

The letter was heavy. Asami wrote a lot, and it made Korra nervous. Part of her wanted to tear it open and read it right away, another part wanted to let it sit until she was emotionally ready to face what could be bad news. 

She sat facing the veranda at the coffee table in her room and twirled the sealed envelope on the table with her finger balancing the tip, reflecting on the years she spent in recovery in the South Pole after Zaheer had poisoned her. She got plenty of letters from her friends in Republic City, but her heart always fluttered when one came from Asami. That woman had a way with words. In her darkest times, a letter from Asami had made her smile, and she would never forget that. 

It was also around the time Korra started coming to terms with her feelings for the other woman. Occasionally she had touched herself to the thought of pleasuring her, but even after all of the letters and comfort in hard times, she still wasn’t sure if Asami felt the same way, nor was she emotionally available to date anyone. 

Korra teared open the seal and unfolded the letter – several pages front and back of beautiful print. She held it up to her face and deeply inhaled the scent of the stationery. Perfumey and subtle dusty notes reminded her of the home they shared in the woods outside of the city. 

She read.

Dear Korra,

I miss you. Life isn’t the same without you here in Republic City. By my side. I am at my little secretary in our home, thinking of you, remembering the time we spent a long weekend in bed making love so much the spirit vines entwined around the bedposts, no doubt drawn to the spiritual connection between us. I know we both felt it, though it never needed saying.  


I miss the comfortable silences we shared in front of the fireplace on chilly nights, me reading and you staring off into the fire, working out your thoughts in that pretty little head of yours. I miss that head. And I miss giving and receiving it.  


I don’t know what came over me the night of our argument, and I don’t know why I broke up with you during it. It wasn’t something I actually wanted, but what you said hurt and insulted me. 

Just how I can’t know what it’s like to be an all-powerful Avatar and bridge between worlds, you don’t know what it’s like to run an international company and to have hundreds of people depend on you to feed their families. But what we can both relate to is the fact that we’re strong women with power and privilege and responsibilities to a lot of people.  


You and I can both be stubborn sometimes, and honestly, that’s kinda what I love about you – you stand your ground, you stand up for what you believe is right, and you look absolutely adorable doing it. I admit, I get defensive about certain things – my parents, my business, the woman I love. What I mean to say is A) I reacted, and poorly, but you did too! And B) I would defend you to the end of the world, even if you don’t take me back, though I’m really hoping you do….

The letter went on like that – declarations of love peppered in with apologies and the occasional regaling of a memory of the two of them in intimate moments that made Korra’s heart ache with longing. Of course she wanted Asami back. It frankly didn’t take much more than “I miss you” to convince her.

Korra read the letter again and felt a wave of emotion overcome her, and she tilted her head into the paper and cried. Through all her toughness, she never held back when it came to shedding tears. 

She heard the door creaking open and felt a figure’s presence behind her, and she quickly wiped her tears with the back of her hand in a pathetic attempt to collect herself before turning around. But when she did, she almost fell over. 

There at the door with a very expensive, finely crafted knapsack slung over her shoulder was Asami.

*

Asami was in the mood for love, and when she saw Korra sitting there, strapping and gorgeous as ever in her fitted Earth Nation outfit, her body and mind welled up, and she inhaled deeply to catch her breath.

Korra froze and then slowly rose, standing there, silent.

Asami noticed Korra’s puffy eyes and snot trailing down her nose, saw her opened letter on the table.

“Korra, you’re crying,” Asami said, the first thing either of them said to each other in a little over a month.

She dropped her bag and walked over to Korra, and, removing her glove, wiped a tear from her beloved’s face. Korra caught Asami’s hand before she could pull it away and leaned her head into it, but she still hadn’t said a word. 

Instead, she lifted her hand to meet Asami’s and massaged the fleshy part of her palm with her thumb and glided up her wrist and forearm. Asami relaxed into this touch before beginning: 

“I’m sorry. For everything. This month was hell, and all I want is for us to –”

But Korra interrupted Asami’s apology with a kiss, and she moaned softly at this touch, closing her eyes and lingering there awhile until Korra eventually pulled away.

“Asami, I don’t know what to say. I’m not very good with words. But I’ll try…” 

Asami kept her gaze solidly on Korra’s deep blue eyes, listening intently. They were holding hands now, entwining fingers as they spoke. It was a fact that they could not keep from touching each other, even when they were not yet officially back together. 

Korra continued: “I was wrong to judge those people, and you along with them. Sometimes I can be so closed minded. Please forgive me.”

“Why do you think I’m here? To break up with you again?”

Korra smiled at this and leaned in for another kiss; Asami nibbled Korra’s bottom lip and peppered lipstick-stained kisses on her chin just below. She pulled away and draped her arms around Korra’s neck, and the Avatar reciprocated by wrapping hers around Asami’s waist.  


The warmth of Korra’s body pressing against hers was all she wanted, and for a moment her pent-up anxieties dissolved because she felt comfortable and safe and could finally relax. She was home. 

“And I promise not to make you attend any more boring meetings with my associates,” she breathed into Korra’s ear.

“Thank you,” Korra said. She dug her head into Asami’s nape and inhaled her scent.

Eventually they made their way to the bed and held each other awhile, playing footsies and staring into each other’s eyes. 

They did not yet consummate their rekindling. But that would come soon enough, and it would continue coming.

Asami updated Korra on all the happenings in Republic City and her eventual resolve to take a road trip, and Korra regaled her training sessions with Kuvira. Both had conveniently left out their liaisons with their respective business and training partners.

Asami was leaning against the head of the bed, studying the Varrick-designed remote that controlled Kuvira’s ankle bracelet (and would incidentally shock the hell out of her if pressed). It had been resting on Korra’s bedside table; the Avatar hadn’t given it another thought since after Suyin gave it to her for her own safety.

“You gotta admit, Varrick is a genius,” Asami said.

“Don’t remind me,” Korra grumbled to herself.

But Asami heard this snarky remark. She didn’t want to get back into it, so she just let the topic alone, for now. There was another thing she had to come clean about…

Asami sat up and turned toward Korra.

“Korra, if we’re going to do this – ”

“Oh, we’re doing this. It’s already done.” Korra cocked a crooked smile, a look that usually sent Asami over the edge at how adorable her girlfriend was. 

It just made what she was going to say next harder, but they needed to start fresh. She cleared her throat, continued: 

“Did you see the Tribune with me in it?”

Korra’s smile turned into a frown, and she shifted in her seat.

“Yeah, I saw. Anything you wanna tell me?”

“I, kind of, well, I,” Asami sighed, “I slept with someone else. I’m so, so sorry Korra.”

Korra slouched. “Was it with that ‘playboy racer’ guy?”

Asami nodded.

It seemed as if Korra was working something out in her mind. She couldn’t tell what Korra was thinking. It always took her girlfriend awhile to process a thought. 

After an agonizingly long silence from her partner, Korra finally spoke.

“It’s um, it’s OK,” Korra said, not looking at Asami.

“Seriously?” 

“Yea, I mean, we were broken up, and so you didn’t have to be faithful to me,” Korra said.

“I was always faithful to you,” Asami said. “I just slept with someone else.”

“Alright, I don’t need a reminder,” Korra said. 

“Fair enough.”

They hugged and kissed and Asami cradled her head in Korra’s little nook at her neck. Well that was surprisingly easy. A little too easy. That’s not the jealous, hot-headed, incredibly sexy Korra Asami knew. Except for of course the last part. 

“You are being really understanding about all of this,” Asami said. “I thought you would take it harder.”

Korra laughed weakly and Asami detected a subtle hint of nervousness. She sat up.

“Korra, is there something you’re not telling me?”

Korra sighed and said, “I too have something to tell you.”

Asami’s pulse quickened at this impending news. What was it? Oh Spirits, she wasn’t expecting this.

“I… I slept with – fucked – Kuvira,” Korra said finally.

Asami became tense. Her eyes closed, body shuddering at the thought of her girlfriend getting fucked by Kuvira. 

That father-killing, girlfriend-stealing, dark-spirited wretch!

“I’m sorry! I was just so frustrated and heartbroken, and horny. And then I saw that headline, and I lost it!”

Asami collected herself. Only people she loved could really push her buttons like that.

“It’s… OK,” Asami forced herself to say. She knew it was right. “You and I were broken up. Neither of us were wrong. And besides, it was it just the once with her, right?”

Korra was silent a moment, and appeared panic-stricken. But in the end, the Avatar was no liar.

“Twice,” she said. 

“Twice as in twice one time, or two groups of multiple times?” 

“Two groups.”

Asami felt herself getting worked up again. But now she was on the fuck-it train and asking questions that made her angrier and surprisingly, a little turned on.

“Did you enjoy it?” Asami found herself asking.

“Did I?” Korra seemed confused and uncomfortable at this question, and that’s when Asami knew the answer was yes. It stung more than anything to know that Kuvira had made her sweetheart moan with pleasure. Had kissed and suckled down there. Had made her come multiple times.

Asami looked over to the remote with the big red button that could shock Kuvira into a fried steaming pulp of human jerky, and she snatched it up. Her whole life she had been the one to bottle up her emotions, to act rationally, to behave herself and never throw a tantrum. And little by little lately, she had rebelled against this. And in that moment, she really wanted to push that red button!

She snatched the remote and stormed out of the room. 

“Asami, come back with that! Don’t go there!” Korra called and ran off after her.

*

Kuvira and Opal were in the back parlor of the Beifong residence, a large, high-ceilinged room where family and guests comingled. They were the only ones in the room, Kuvira in the corner by a wall of books, and Opal sitting with her back to Kuvira on one of the long couches, occupying herself with one of Jinora’s fantasy romance novels she had lent her. 

Kuvira was likewise occupied with a cultivation book that discussed various acupressure points in the body and how they channeled bending. Anatomical pictures of the meridians accompanied the text, or rather, the other way around. Kuvira surmised if one wanted to take another person’s bending away permanently, they would have to block or destroy specific points along the main chi pathway extending from the tailbone to the crown of the head. Fascinating. 

She closed the book and tucked it away for later and, turning around, saw the back of Opal’s head tilted downward, laughing at something she read. 

“What’s so funny?” Kuvira said softly.

“This book is ridiculous, but it’s sooooo good! Jinora knows how to pick em,” Opal said without turning around.

Kuvira glided slowly toward Opal who felt the slightest change of air in the room as she approached. The back of her neck tingled when Kuvira shuffled behind and her body trembled, a fact that was not lost on the other woman. She looked up at Kuvira, who was now hovering just above her. Their eyes met.

“Tell me,” Kuvira said in a sultry tone. “Please.”

Kuvira melted downward to be at eye level, squatting and leaning on the back of the couch and keeping her gaze on those big green eyes. She smiled and tucked a piece of hair behind Opal’s ear. In truth, she didn’t care about the story, and Opal knew it. Opal always saw through bullmoose poop. 

“It’s about a dragon. A dragon falls in love with a man. Oh yeah, and it’s a male dragon. And he makes a deal with a wizard to become human to be with the man, I mean really be with him. Anyway, things aren’t looking too good right now for anyone in the story. But what can I say – Jinora does have a taste for tragedy,” Opal said, keeping her gaze on Kuvira.

“Oh? So then what was so funny about it?”

“What do you mean?” Opal said. 

“I mean, why were you laughing?”

“I was laughing,” Opal began. “Because I was thinking about a fight we had when we were kids.”

“I thought it was something in the novel,” Kuvira said. The revelation that Opal had been sitting there thinking about her as she read made her flush. Their faces were now inches apart, growing closer as they spoke.

Kuvira leaned toward Opal to kiss her again, but Opal pulled away. 

“I’m sorry. I just can’t. Not now, or anymore – for Now anyway,” Opal said. She averted her gaze from Kuvira.

“Because of Bolin,” Kuvira said.

“Yes.”

“Well.” Kuvira straightened up and walked to the other side of the parlor toward the bookshelf as if she were looking for something. She really just needed to do something with her body. She scanned the titles of the books, not really reading but thinking. Finally, she turned around and said “Then I’ll wait for you.”

Opal turned around on the couch and smiled widely at Kuvira which made the former Great Uniter’s heart swell. 

Just then Asami barged into the room with Korra trailing behind her.

*

Asami walked with authority and stopped in front of Kuvira, holding the remote device with her finger hovering over the button, the other arm akimbo on her hip. Her hair tumbled down her lower back in loose waves. Korra stood behind her at the ready for any sudden movements. 

“Kuvira, I know what you did. And I’m here to tell you it’s not happening again. Not without both of our permission anyway.”

Asami was upset. And when she reached this point, she no longer yelled but spoke calmly in a tone that evoked seriousness and finality. The kind of tone a CEO has to put on when she’s in a board room with a bunch of hairy, old men. 

“Hello, Asami. It’s good to see you again too,” Kuvira said.

"I could push this button here and now and watch you crumple to the floor -- like last time, remember?" Asami said. 

"Why would you do a thing like that when I haven't done anything wrong?" 

“Tell it to Sweeney!”

Opal was confused. She didn’t know Asami was there. She didn’t know why Asami was mad. And she certainly didn’t know why Asami was waving around a button that would shock Kuvira’s ankle off. But she wasn’t here for somebody barging into her home threatening her family, or whatever Kuvira was.

“Hey, Asami, I’m not sure what’s going on but can you please not threaten Kuvira here? It’s not – nice! Also, don’t make me blow that thing out of your hand!” Opal said. She was standing with her arms crossed. Kuvira’s chest puffed with pride at Opal jumping to her defense. 

Korra, meantime, was still standing behind Asami, unsure of what to do next. She didn’t want to trigger the woman further, but she had to make sure Asami wasn’t going to shock her Sifu. That wouldn’t be too nice. But she also didn’t like the way Opal clapped back at Asami like that.

“Opal, stay out of this!” Korra said.

“Oh, stay out of this, she says. And in my home, she says it,” Opal said, rolling her eyes.

Ignoring Opal, Asami continued directing her ire toward Kuvira: “You fucked my girlfriend... You killed my father.” Tears rolled down her cheek.

At that news, Opal’s head turned back around to meet Kuvira’s gape. 

“You what?” Opal said. She had known about Asami’s father but this was the first she heard of any liaisons with Korra.

“It was a moment in, moment out phenomenon. “It meant nothing,” Kuvira said.

Korra stepped in. She had failed at staying out of this love triangle or whatever it was. 

“Love-wise, it was nothing. Just once after the gym came down, and a couple of times in the spa. But that was IT! But I mean, I wouldn’t say it meant ‘nothing’. We became friends, didn’t we?”

But that was the wrong thing to say in this moment, because both Opal and Asami turned on her. And Kuvira shook her head at the Avatar’s blunder. 

Still, Asami came to her senses in all of this chaos. Seeing Opal react to the news this way – was there something going on between her and Kuvira? Did she mess that up? She handed the remote to Korra, who sighed in relief but then recoiled when Asami shot her another glance. 

That’s it, Korra thought. 

“Listen up everyone!” Korra raised her voice. “Kuvira and I fucked, yes, it happened. But A, we’re just friends; B, you and I were broken up; and C, you two are not together! In fact, you are with Bolin – my friend,” Korra said, motioning to herself and Kuvira, herself and Asami, and Kuvira and Opal, respectively.

The women were all silent a moment. Korra had some valid points. But the Avatar also did not want everyone fighting, especially a bunch of people she cared about.

“Whaddya say we all start over?” Korra was doing her Avatar peace thing trying to broker a deal among all of them. As simple as the suggestion was, she had hoped it would work.

“OK,” Asami said, leaning over to embrace Korra and stand side by side with her with their arms caressing each other’s backs.

“Of course I’d love to,” Kuvira said, adding, “There’s a lot I’d like to start over.”

“Opal,” Korra said?”

“You can’t just steamroll over the issue and expect all of us to be magically OK with all of this,” Opal said. But then she rolled her eyes. “But, I agree. I think we should. You’re right, Avatar Korra.”

“Woo-hoo! Brokering peace and bringing balance to the world, that’s my M-O,” Korra cheered.

Kuvira had meantime mouthed an additional apology to Opal, who, knowing there was nothing to be mad about, still felt hurt and betrayed for some reason. The human chemical cocktail was curious that way. She would move on from this, but now she was more encouraged than ever to fly out to Republic City and break up with Bolin. That would be hard for her – he was a great guy, but they had been drifting apart for a long time and had never really rekindled a meaningful connection after the battle of Zaofu when he helped save her family from, well, Kuvira. 

But things were different now, Kuvira was different. And she had fallen for her.

Footsteps sounded down the hall and Suyin entered.

“What’s all the commotion, ladies? One of the guards told me things were getting heated in here” Suyin said. 

“Nothing, Mom,” Opal said, looking nervously at everything around her.

They all agreed. What she said.

Suyin was curious but didn’t want to press it. Instead she turned to Asami.

“Asami, welcome back. I’m sorry I didn’t get to greet you on the way in. I trust you found everything OK?”

I did, Su, thanks,” Asami said.

“And I see you and the Avatar made up,” Suyin added, looking at the two all but canoodling. 

“Well, almost,” Korra said, looking at Asami who smiled back.

Korra had forgotten about the remote in her hand, and it slipped out, falling to the ground. Clumsily, she maneuvered to try to grab it but accidentally stepped on it, the plasmic covering shattering and red button depressing under Korra’s heavy foot.

“Ahh,” Korra yelled. But then she quickly realized she was the only one yelling. Kuvira had not reacted to the button pressing, except for with an expression resembling something between guilt and cockiness.

“Kuvira, what’s going on!” Suyin said, positioning herself to battle Kuvira if need be.

Korra did not follow Su’s movements, but stood there in near shock.

“What happened?” Korra said. “Why didn’t you?” 

Opal, surprised by the first revelation was now on her last breath with Kuvira. She better have a good explanation.

“I can explain,” Kuvira began, holding one hand up calmly. She knew it would eventually come to this, she just hoped it’d be later rather than sooner. “I’m not going to escape, Su, so please, put your hands down. The truth is it’s been broken a long time. The material is made of plasmic, but the wires inside – copper.”

“And so? You can’t bend copper,” Asami said.

“I can, and I did,” Kuvira said. “It was easy. Copper is almost as dirty as regular metals, so it was the perfect one to train on. It provided the training wheels for me to be able to do what I did.”

“And what did you do?” Opal said.

“The arena,” Suyin said, scratching her chin. “You bent that, and I knew it. It was obvious, but – ”

“People only see what they want,” Kuvira said. “They see an ankle bracelet, they think, she’s not going anywhere, and if she does, we’ll find her and shock her. Not necessarily in that order. They see platinum twisted like a pretzel and think – what? Some wind blew it?” Kuvira cocked her head back and laughed. She was caught and so didn’t care anymore.

“Very well, Kuvira,” Suyin said, considering, “You could have escaped but didn’t. And, let’s be honest, if you wanted to escape, nothing could stop you. But you chose to stay here, under house arrest all this time. You chose to do the right thing.” She approached Kuvira and placed a motherly hand on her shoulder. 

Kuvira wanted to feel proud of this approval from Suyin but something felt amiss.

“So now what?” Korra said. She was no fan of the police, so she was against calling them. And she didn’t see Suyin calling for guards.

“Now… we keep doing what we’re doing,” Suyin said and walked out of the room.

Later on when Opal was talking with her mother trying to figure out how she felt about what transpired earlier, she asked “Why did you just let Kuvira go like that? Knowing how dangerous she is.”

“Because, my dear,” Suyin said. “Kuvira is in a worse prison than perhaps she realizes – self-imprisonment. She can escape any time but chooses to stay, and all under the guise of being forced. She plays along with this farce, and she doesn’t want to leave.”

“Yet, mama,” Opal said, and the baby Beifong wrapped her arms around her mother for comfort. Yet indeed.


	14. Date Night in Zaofu

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Korrasami have their first date after reuniting, but can they make it back to the bedroom before indulging in their passions?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: explicit public sex.

It had been so long since Korra and Asami last saw each other, and after all the commotion that took place earlier that day, they decided to start over. So they agreed to go on a date somewhere in Zaofu, away from the Beifong residence and everyone. 

They spent the hours before nightfall alone together. Korra was out on the veranda of her room leaning on the balustrade and looking out into horizon at the undulating hills and shiny metal abodes peppering this small city of modern comforts.

Asami was back in the room brushing out her hair. It was wild from blowing higgledy-piggledy in the wind and from the crying and making up with Korra and confronting Kuvira. She knew she acted irrationally, but something in her snapped about Kuvira. The other feeling that surprised her was how she was slightly turned on by Korra’s confession. She had never thought of Kuvira that way, but now that she thought about it, Kuvira was strinkingly handsome. Korra couldn’t be blamed for what happened. What’s done is done. What’s done cannot be undone. 

She looked back at Korra staring out in the abyss again and smiled, having come up with a bright idea. Sauntering off to the kitchen, she boiled some water the old-fashioned way and made Korra a pot of calming jasmine tea which she carefully carried back to their room and out onto the patio.

“Hey, I thought you could use some tea to warm your bones,” Asami said.

Korra averted her gaze from the pinks and oranges of the setting sun streaking the clouds and grinned at Asami, who was as beautiful as ever. 

“Thank you. It’s just what I need,” Korra said, taking the cup and sipping it slowly.

Asami joined in and they leaned against the balustrade with their arms touching, sipping tea and enjoying the sunset together.

“You ready for our date tonight? Or do you just want to stay in and, you know?” Korra said.

Asami considered for a moment. Both sounded nice, especially the last part. But she wanted to have Korra to herself for a few hours away from the Beifongs. And she wanted the public to see who her sweetheart really was.

“Let’s go out,” Asami said. “Dancing?” She expected Korra to dismiss the dancing but surprisingly, she responded with:

“Let’s do it.”

*

They were all jazzed up, Asami looking as snazzy as ever and Korra wearing a glitzy water-tribe ensemble.

Korra led Asami to the train and saw that her girlfriend minded the gap before stepping in. She was being extra chivalrous though not imposing.

They sat alone in the car as it shuttled them to downtown Zaofu. 

The night sky was bespeckled with paper lanterns floating up toward the abyss; some kind of festival was going on, and Korra and Asami walked arm in arm amidst a flurry of outdoor vendors and kids running around playing nighttime games.

People recognized them here and there.

“Mommy look, it’s the Avatar,” a small voice belonging to a little pigtailed girl managed to perk up through the crowd. She was carrying around a plush toy of Korra in ponytails and Southern Water Tribe garb. The girl’s mother held her daughter and waved at Korra and Asami, who smiled and waved back.

Another voice sounded, no doubt a young male. “The Avatar! And isn’t that Asami Sato? What a dame! Two lucky women right there!”

The two lucky women pretended not to notice this comment but smiled at each other in silent agreement. They strolled this way awhile until happening upon a small nightclub, not the swanky type, but the lowdown chill kind.

Inside the club, a local band played jazz. Korra was a little old-timey in her tastes, preferring this to Kuvira’s modern garble, and tapped her knee to the exuberant sounds of the instruments. She and Asami had found a seat at a small table and were sipping cocktails. Korra didn’t drink often but this was a special occasion. Besides, she had no plans to train in the morning. She had planned to stay in bed with Asami.

Asami excused herself to the bathroom to freshen up, leaving Korra by herself to soak up the scene. The band changed tempo and a sultry rhythmic sound bellowed. People on the dance floor slinked their bodies this way and that, pairs dancing closer now.

Just then Korra noticed Asami coming out of the bathroom. It seemed she stepped with the rhythm of the music, the long slit of her dress revealing her leg up to mid-thigh as she walked and swung her hips in heels all hotsy-totsy. Korra could tell she was feeling herself, and the music. 

Asami approached, her hair and makeup freshly touched up. She leaned into Korra, and breathed into her neck “let’s dance,” and followed up with a long kiss and gentle licks of Korra’s salty sweet flesh.

Korra shivered though her body became hot, and she silently took Asami’s hand and led her to the dance floor. Asami swayed sexily, her back leaning against Korra’s pounding heart as her love’s hands rested on her waist. 

To Asami’s surprise and delight, Korra was dancing quite well, leaning into the gyrations of her hips and even twirling her from time to time before slinging her back into the Avatar’s strong arms. She lifted her long lustrous hair off of her neck and pulled it to the side. She was beginning to sweat, but it didn’t stop Korra from leaning in and kissing her nape from behind. 

Asami couldn’t take it any longer, she turned around to face Korra and looked her in the eyes. Their lips met again, and they stood in the middle of the dance floor making out. For the most part the other people dancing didn’t seem to care but continued on with their own amusement. 

The music kept up like this, and the couple danced and kissed and danced until they were covered in sweat and last call sounded. Neither woman had bothered to drink much. They didn’t need giggle water to amuse themselves, and they wanted to stay present for every moment of this rendezvous. Regardless, Asami left a massive tip for the cocktail waitress and especially the band.

The streets were deserted in the dwindling hours of night. They had to make it back to the train, which had a guard on standby at all hours.

They were both sweaty and susceptible to the night’s chill, which gave them goosepimples. Korra firebent heat to her hands and held Asami’s as they walked. 

Asami was long turned on and had wanted Korra to touch her inappropriately since back at the club, but they played a torturous game – try to make it back in one piece before getting frisky. It wasn’t a long walk or ride but the task seemed near impossible.

Meantime, Korra tried to contain herself from pulling Asami to an alley and fucking her. But she wanted their first time in a long time to be tender, wanted to make love. And for whatever reason, this made her nervous.

Still, she was high on love for Asami and her physical desire crept up powerfully. She laughed and leaned against Asami, her hand snaking to places that pushed Asami’s buttons and which did not go unnoticed by the other woman who reciprocated but also playfully pulled away.

They tried their best not to touch each other, then, failing, let themselves go and ducked into a dark alleyway after all. They could have a quick fuck and then still make love later, right? Nevertheless that would have to be the case because Korra leaned Asami’s back against the wall and began peppering her neck down to the top of her cleavage with kisses. 

The feeling of Korra’s lips made Asami shiver, and a flurry of heat collected at her sacrum, her panties long soaked from sweat and wetness. Then the Avatar lifted her up. She nearly forgot how strong Korra was, stronger than any man she knew, despite being a measly five foot seven. This action turned her on even more – Asami loved being lifted up.

Korra’s muscles angled in the nighttime as she kept Asami lifted, her lover’s legs now wrapped around her waist. She needed to make this quick, so they could get to bed and stay there, and she thought of an idea. Good thing they had ducked into a convenience store to buy fresh clean water to keep them hydrated. They had also incidentally spent nearly five minutes making out in the aisle before the shop guy yelled at them to buy something or get out.

Korra lifted her dress above her head, tossing it to the side, and dropped her pants underneath. She glided her hands up Asami’s thighs and pulled at her panties gently at first but more forcefully to shimmy them out of the way. But she accidentally ripped the delicate fabric and it wilted to the side and out of way enough for what she was about do. Asami did not seem to care too much about her panties ripping, and in fact, it seemed to turn her on even more. Keeping Asami propped up against the wall with one hand, she bent the water out of the bottle with the other until it formed a blob floating about their waists.

“Korra what are you doing?” Asami husked.

“Shh,” Korra said. “I need to concentrate. Do you trust me?”

“Of course. I never felt safer with anyone in my life.”

Asami’s answer made Korra well with pride, and lust. Without another word, she leaned closer to Asami, whose slick wetness rocked against the top of Korra’s muscular v of her hips, and angled them slightly differently to allow for double penetration of the water.

They kept eye contact as the cold water slinked between them, causing both of them to inhale deeply as their hearts and haunches pulsed. Slowly, the water entered them, filling the potential space between and inside of them; the water covered their clits and filled them up, and Korra had focused on keeping it semi-solid enough to enjoy the ride. She began to rock her hips and simultaneously bend the water. This was the first time the Avatar had tried something like this without a strap-on, and since neither of them happened to carry one around, she had to improvise. But once she got a rhythm going, it felt amazing. The water was healing and penetrating, and Asami was huffing in her ear, moaning ‘Oh Spirits, Oh Korra,’ which gave the Avatar more gusto to keep going.

The water rubbed their clits and undulated within them, and soon Korra was going to come. She had to hold off, though. She couldn’t come until after Asami, otherwise she wouldn’t be able to sustain this double cock. Asami’s breathing was quickening, and she could sense her lover was close.

“Come for me baby,” Korra said, increasing her pace and focusing her attention on angling the water upward against Asami’s G-spot and simultaneously pressing against her clit. 

Asami felt her muscles tensing around the makeshift water cock, and she dug her nails into Korra’s back as she came. But it wasn’t over yet. 

Korra had to finish.

The Avatar grinded her hips into Asami’s and let herself go completely before coming not long afterward, the water splashing to the ground at the moment of release. She leaned into Asami, breathing heavily, and put her down. They kissed and held each other before dressing again and walking to the train.

As the only passengers they remained enmeshed in fingers and lips and tongues, making out and touching each other passionately. They didn’t care that the guard was standing right there, blushing and trying not stare, and especially not when Asami crossed her legs and the slit of her dress revealed she wasn’t wearing panties. 

They pulled up to the Beifong residence. All was quiet as they tiptoed back to their room.

Finally, the long wait was over; they had made it to bed.


	15. Morning (and Afternoon) Delight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: explicit morning sex

Asami watched Korra sleep. It was sometime in the late morning or early afternoon and she didn’t want to wake her. Korra was snoring and drooling a bit on her pillow with her chestnut hair draped delicately across her face, and Asami thought she looked brown and beautiful. 

She thought of the nights she would console Korra who sometimes shook violently awake from lingering nightmares of being poisoned, of going through all she did in a short span of years and somehow managing to come out stronger and wiser for it. The CEO admired her girlfriend almost as much as she loved her. She couldn’t believe Korra was with her, and part of her wondered whether she was good enough for the Avatar.

It was hard at first to get Korra’s attention. When they met and Asami was dating Mako, she would go out of her way to try to impress Korra, showing off her racing skills or offering herself up wherever she could on Team Avatar missions. 

Later on, when they were both over Mako, they became fast friends and Asami realized her attraction to Korra was more than just a deep admiration. She caught herself ogling Korra while training with her and holding up pads for her to punch. The Avatar’s muscular physique and especially her arms made Asami scream inside to be touched, and Korra’s crooked smile made her heart pound out of her chest. 

But still, she didn’t know whether Korra felt the same; heck, she wasn’t sure if Korra liked women that way. Asami was always attracted to women and realized it early, but she never fully came out to her conservative father though she never hid it; he just chose not to see. 

As such, she had affairs with classmates at her all girls boarding school and even brought one home once; her father never thought twice about how close they were and how they held hands and giggled incessantly at inside jokes. He figured girls will be girls. 

Still, eligible bachelors lined up to date Asami, and as she was also attracted to men, she found herself dating them because, frankly, it was easier. 

But Korra made Asami realize what real love is. It’s hard work and patience and understanding. It can heal and it can hurt. But it also fills the heart and soul and bones and flesh with an immeasurable weight and incredible lightness. Love is a paradox, Asami decided. The weight on her heart, the lightness of her head – a fine line between sickness and health. This feeling, she knew it well – the feeling of uncertain and unreciprocated love, first in the agonizing three years apart from Korra and recently during their month of being broken up. 

Korra was still fast asleep, and Asami scooted closer and draped her arm around her. They were both naked under the soft sheets and Asami felt cocooned and safe with her love there. 

Korra’s eyes fluttered open and her big blues rested on Asami’s met gaze; she yawned and moaned and leaned into Asami’s grasp and tilted her forehead against the other woman, and with morning breath, uttered “Good morning.”

“Hiiii,” Asami purred. 

Korra scooted even closer, and Asami wrapped her naked leg around her. 

The room was shadowy; the drapes were closed though the vaulted ceilings with their high windows allowed some light to slink through.

“Mmm, what time is it?” Korra said, eyes still half closed, hand massaging Asami’s back gently.

“I have no idea.”

“Good. Keep it that way.” 

That’s when Korra leaned in for a morning (or was it afternoon?) kiss before nestling her head into Asami’s nape and breathing into it; she kissed it delicately, sending shivers through Asami’s spine and chest and head and loins. Asami loved being kissed there. It was one of her sweet spots, and Korra knew it. 

“Love you stinky,” Asami said, leaning in once again to rub noses with Korra.

“Stinky? Me?”

“Yup.”

Korra cupped her hand to her mouth and turned her head away to breathe into and smell it. Then she lifted an armpit, smelled that.

“Oh, and what of it?” Korra said.

“I like the way you smell. I like your stink, and I want it on me.”

Asami gave Korra a look, and the Avatar took her cue, moving her hand down Asami’s body ever so slowly toward her nether region with her mouth still focused on the other woman’s neck, twirling her tongue against soft flesh.

Asami trembled whenever Korra touched her, and being naked under the sheets made it more intimate. She moaned into these caresses, wanting more but also for Korra to take her time. This was bliss, and she was in no rush. 

Meantime, Asami reciprocated touches, her nails and finger pads massaging gently behind Korra’s neck and running up the back of her scalp through her hair. Asami knew Korra loved these nurturing touches, and Korra occasionally paused her kisses of Asami’s neck to lean into the other woman’s hand and linger there for a blissful moment.

Korra’s hand danced around Asami’s outer hip and dipped down to the crevice leading to her pussy. But they were both angled awkward and lazily, so Korra, in her still dreamy horny haze rolled Asami to her back and propped herself up on her elbow, both tented by the sheet. 

Asami watched as Korra’s eyes scanned the length of her; Asami did the same. They began with their eyes, keeping their gazes steady with no words until Korra giggled and the contagion of laughter caused Asami to follow suit. Nothing like conversations with the eyes between soulmates. Next came Korra’s magnificent breasts. Two plump and perky mounds with dark dimpled areolas that Asami wanted to suckle. 

Their eyes traveled down their abs toward their core. Korra was a goddess; she had the perfect body. She was strong and hard and muscular yet curvy and full-figured; she combined the best features of paintings of voluptuous sea goddesses and sculptures of perfectly muscled and proportioned naked heroes. And here she was for Asami’s gaze, also naked. Likewise, she felt Korra’s eyes on her, and it made her wet to think her naked body turned Korra on.

“You are so hot,” Asami confessed.

“I was thinking the same,” Korra said. 

“Your body is perfect – I want to touch the Avatar.”

“The Avatar wants to be touched.”

Asami’s eyes moved down to Korra’s bush and, without further ado, she teased her hand there and plunged a finger in between the Avatar’s folds and felt the slick wetness. Then she put her finger to her mouth and had a little taste while Korra watched with lustful eyes. 

It was a game of who would go first – would Korra make her way down hands and lips to Asami’s core? Or would Asami take control from where she lay? The CEO reached her hand up again to rub against Korra’s inner thigh. Her other hand rubbed Korra’s tits, one then the other. Then, she got up and straddled Korra, tossing the sheets to the side. Korra sat up to meet Asami and kissed her deeply, lustfully, hips rocking into each other. 

Asami was ready to please her woman, so after a spell of making out and epic foreplay, she seated Korra at the edge of the bed and lay her down, legs dangling off the edge. She got on her knees at the foot of the bed and spread Korra’s legs.

“I’d like to kiss you down there. Can I please, baby?”

“Oh Spirits, Asami, if you don’t get in there --,” Korra responded.

Asami got a good look at Korra’s beautiful, wet pussy.

“Your pussy is perfect, did you know that?” Asami said teasingly.

“Thanks,” Korra huffed. “I – ahh!”

Asami blew on Korra’s pussy and flattened her tongue against the clit. Then she swirled her tongue around the delicate bud, licking the folds around it and the sensitive spot next to it. She had studied this pussy like a map and therefore knew that it drove Korra wild to lick and pound her tongue exactly next to the clit. This kind of attention, interspersed with occasional direct thrashing of the bud before edging away drove Korra wild. 

And it was precisely what she did now, Korra’s hips rocking up to meet Asami’s mouth and Asami using her hands on her girlfriend’s sculpted abs to rest her back down. 

Korra moaned and breathed deeply at Asami’s tongue, and these sounds encouraged Asami more.  
Finally, Asami wrapped her lips around Korra’s pussy and sucked, using her tongue to flick the clit. 

“I’m coming!” Korra exclaimed, perhaps a little too loudly, and she trembled against Asami’s mouth, gushing wetness while Asami lapped it up.

But Asami wasn’t done, and Korra knew better. One of the great things about being a woman is having multiple back to back orgasms. She continued to suck, keeping her lips wrapped around Korra’s lower lips like a suction cup.

She knew Korra’s core would be more sensitive and was conscious of that as she focused her attention on that special spot at the side of Korra’s clit, now also working her hand down to explore inside of her.

Asami plunged one, then two fingers inside, hooking them upward as she pulled out. Korra was in a tizzy gripping the mattress cover and moaning incessantly to Asami’s utter delight. Asami continued these movements until Korra announced she was coming a second time and the CEO rode out her love’s orgasm in her mouth, feeling and riding the aftershocks.

Then she nestled up next to Korra who leaned in and kissed her, licking the come on her face. 

“You taste good,” Asami said.

“You’re beautiful,” Korra replied.

They lay there awhile in no particular rush until Korra eventually straddled Asami and leaned down to pepper her neck and bottom of her chin with kisses. Asami felt a chill move from where Korra touched her to her head and heart and down to her core.

Korra rubbed Asami’s thighs, pinching the fleshy part gently. Then the Avatar trailed her hand back up to cup her lover’s breasts. 

The feeling of Korra’s strong hand teasing its way back up and away from where she wanted it most drove Asami wild. But then the way Korra squeezed her tits, gently yet firmly made her body tingle. She knew Korra could feel her heart pounding near out of her chest because her girlfriend reacted to the heavy thud and looked deeply into Asami’s eyes, the same genuine look that made her melt every time.

“How should I please you?” Korra said.

“I’m already pleased.”

Korra leaned in and kissed Asami passionately. Then breathed into her ear “Do you want it tender… or do you want to explore other options?”

Asami loved other options. They were into other options previously and no doubt would return to them soon, but for whatever sappy reason, in this moment, she wanted Korra to love her tenderly.

“Tender,” Asami said, looking Korra straight in the eyes causing her love’s body to tremble against her.

She leaned down and cradled Asami’s neck and kissed her gently. 

“I missed you,” Korra said.

“I missed you.”

The Avatar began trailing kisses down Asami’s neck and down to each breast, kissing and suckling each until finding the center where they met and continuing the journey downward. Korra moved to get down on her knees and drape Asami’s legs over her shoulders. Asami propped herself up on her elbows and locked eyes on Korra one last time before the Avatar tucked her head down and pressed her heavy tongue on Asami’s clit.

Asami breathed in deeply and tilted her head back and angled her hips up into Korra’s mouth who pushed back against it. She reached out a hand and felt it against Korra’s bobbing head. It felt so good to have her pussy enveloped by the Avatar, who had a practiced tongue from eating her out daily for year straight.

Korra pulled away, and Asami croaked “Don’t stop!”

The Avatar cocked a half smile and said, “Don’t worry baby.”

Asami felt Korra place a hand over her pussy and rub the length of it up and down. This teased Asami to no end, who was fast becoming impatient. 

Korra leaned in to kiss where her hand was rubbing and all along Asami’s lover pelvis. 

“Hurry, baby.”

So much for taking her time, Asami thought but she no longer cared. She needed release.

Korra played around with Asami’s hole and slowly dipped a finger in, then another and used her palm to rub against the clit while she motioned her fingers in and up and back rhythmically.

Asami moaned. The feeling of Korra’s hand made her want more, and she said: 

“Harder. More.”

Korra slowly squeezed another finger in there and wriggled it around to join the others. Asami was getting three finger-fucked while Korra’s palm steadily pressed against and worked the clit. 

“What happened to tender?”

“Fuck tender. I need you to fuck me. Now.” Asami said, desperate.

Korra started pounding Asami’s hole, though not erratically but steadily, focused. 

Asami howled and Korra dipped her head down to assist her hand and moved her palm aside to let her tongue go to work.

Korra kept busy and soon Asami announced she was coming. Korra kept up her pace, even as Asami came leaving her no downtime to recover.

“Ahh,” Asami said.

But Korra just moaned into her pussy, now concentrating her tongue at lashing her clit.

Asami propped herself up and rode her hips into Korra’s mouth, her body rolling to the undulations of Korra’s tongue, whose hand moved slower now but with increased pressure on the padded spot inside her pussy.

“Oh Spirits! Oh Korra!” Asami cried out and felt Korra’s other hand cup over her mouth, which Asami licked and kissed and bit.

Asami came again just then, and Korra used her tongue to nurture Asami’s clit back to sanity before finally releasing it.

Asami lay there huffing deeply. The orgasms released lingering tension in her chest and sacrum. Korra rested her head on Asami’s stomach, still kneeling between her legs, and Asami ran her fingers through Korra’s hair. 

“I could get used to this again,” Asami said softly.

“Me too,” Korra said. 

*

Korra watched Asami on her way to the washroom. Asami, still naked, was gorgeously tall and athletic but slim and curvy, her raven hair tumbling down to the dip of her hip. 

The Avatar couldn’t believe Asami Sato was her girlfriend again; sometimes she wondered what she did to deserve such a beautiful woman inside and out, and she did now as well. She loved Asami more than anyone in her life, and she questioned the length she would go for this woman. It frightened her to think that if it came down to it, there was nothing she was not willing to do. 

Harmonic convergence and Raava defeating Vaatu – light overcoming dark – flashed briefly before Korra’s eyes; she remembered Vaatu could never be destroyed and had the gut feeling that the dark spirit lingered somewhere deep.

She could hear Asami pissing from the bathroom, whose door was left ajar, then the splash of water washing her hands. 

“What do you say we take a bath?” Asami said from the washroom.

“A bath sounds nice. How bout a shower this time though?”

“I’ll take that too.”

Korra got up, also butt naked, and walked over to the washroom and approached Asami from behind, wrapping her arms around her. Asami’s hand came up to meet Korra’s forearm and she leaned back into Korra. Korra inhaled her sweaty love, who smelled like perfume and sex; it was wonderful.

She kissed along Asami’s shoulder and moved her hand down her lover’s body to touch her down there, again. 

Asami moaned and said: 

“In the shower.”

And they climbed in and took a cold shower, the water making them nearly jump out of their skin if not for the warmth of each other and another wave of orgasms.

Finally they were clean and clothed. It seemed they hadn’t worn clothes in ages, and when was the last time they ate?

They were seated at the coffee table where the shades of the room were drawn to reveal it was late afternoon. Korra was ravishingly hungry; they hadn’t eaten anything except each other since the day before and they likewise hadn’t left their room.

“Sami, what are you hungry for?”

Asami lifted her eyebrows at Korra exaggeratedly.

“Besides me,” Korra said, winking. 

“Anything healthy, hon,” Asami said.

They didn’t motion to go yet but stayed awhile. It was nice to have nothing to do and it was nice to do nothing.

Kuvira and the events of the previous day were eventually brought up. Korra had wondered what Kuvira would do now that everybody knew her ankle bracelet was useless. Su was right, nobody could stop her if they tried; that was sort of the point of house arrest – she was allowed to stay home on merit. 

“Korra,” Asami said, breaking Korra’s meditation.

“Do you think Kuvira is attractive?”

“Um, wat?” Korra said. She was caught off guard by this question and shuffled her feet, fidgeting a little in her seat. She saw Asami notice this and tried to sit still.

“You can be honest,” Asami said. “I want you to be. Please.”

“I, um, well…” Korra let out a sigh. “Of course you know she’s gorgeous.” 

Korra wasn’t sure where Asami was going with this, but it made her nervous and she half expected her girlfriend to clap back with a jealous retort. But Asami didn’t. Instead, her eyes softened and her eyelashes batted causing Korra’s heart to race.

“I knew it. She is our type, isn’t she?” Asami said. And in that moment, she knew Korra was referring to Mako. Kuvira and Mako both shared a similar dark and brooding angular quality that Korrasami enjoyed.

“Have you ever thought of us, all of us together before?”

The answer, of course, was yes. Korra had touched herself to this thought more than once. She replied:

“Well, I can’t lie, I have,” Korra was now onto Asami’s game, and it was turning her on.

Asami leaned back into her chair and started unbuttoning her blouse and gliding her fingertips across her chest.

“You two are just so… powerful,” Asami said. “I’m not sure I could handle it.”

“Oh, I think you could,” Korra husked. Her hand now headed south to her own core.

“Just watch me first, baby,” Asami said. “Then I’ll watch you.”

And Korra moved her hand away to grip the chair and fixate her eyes on Asami, who was touching herself and continued asking questions about Kuvira.

“Her beauty mark,” Asami moaned.

This made Korra a little jealous to see Asami so turned on by the thought of Kuvira, but it turned her on more. 

“Tell me what she did to you.” Asami continued.

And Korra described, shyly at first, but then leaned into a play by play as she saw Asami’s arousal peak. 

Just then a loud knock sounded, startling both of them.

“Just a minute… I mean, uh, who is it?”

“It’s Kuvira,” a deep husky voice sounded from the other side.


	16. Kuvira's Redemption, Part 1

From the other side of the door Kuvira heard rustling followed by heavy footsteps getting louder.

The door opened. Korra stood at the other end and off to the corner of the room; Asami was sitting at the coffee table with her head turned toward the door.

Both of them were blushing and Kuvira wondered whether she interrupted something intimate. 

“Looks like this is a bad time – I’ll come back,” Kuvira said, turning to go.

“No, no. We were just figuring out who, er, I mean what to eat.”

Asami coughed. 

“Because we’re hungry… for food,” Korra said. 

The Avatar appeared flustered and that’s when the former Great Uniter knew for sure the couple was doing something naughty. But that’s the thing – the act of love between lovers, what could be so naughty about it? 

Korra stepped to the side and cleared her throat before appearing to shake off whatever mood Kuvira found her in by straightening up and looking focused.

Kuvira entered the room and noticed Asami’s glare, decided it was better to stand. But from where she stood, she glanced at Asami’s blouse, which had one or two extra buttons open at the top. Asami noticed this look, blushed and buttoned up. Kuvira was humiliated by this blunder of her eyes. But still, she wondered whether she had translated Asami’s look correctly moments ago. She thought it was one of pure volatility but perhaps there was something more to it.

Either way, she was there for a reason. After the confrontation the day before and the revelation her ankle bracelet didn’t work, not to mention the look on Opal’s face when it was revealed she slept with Korra, Kuvira spent the rest of the day and night alone in her room, thinking.

Something was amiss within her and had long been. She could easily escape but kept herself in Zaofu at the Beifong estate. Why? To pay penance for her crimes? To reform herself? It was true to an extent, but really she was guilty for not feeling guilty, a feeling seemingly slightly but profoundly different from repentance. 

But now, more than anything, she wanted to know if what she aimed to accomplish was righteous after all. She needed to know whether her lack of guilt was warranted and the world misunderstood her or if there was something more sinister within her. If the latter was true, she was willing to pay for it. No longer would she allow anyone to consider her a coward. 

“Avatar Korra, and especially you, Asami,” Kuvira began, “I wanted to apologize. For everything. Yesterday I said I didn’t do anything wrong – but that was a lie. I meant since I was under house arrest in Zaofu. But that was also a lie. I disabled my ankle bracelet a long time ago.”

Korrasami looked down toward Kuvira’s ankle and noticed she wasn’t even wearing it anymore. She removed it.

“Why keep yourself here then?” Korra said. 

“This wouldn’t have happened if you wore an electrode ankle bracelet,” Asami said, referring to her own tech and sparking Kuvira’s memory of when she wore Asami’s clothes and was incidentally shocked by the belt, which was electrode powered and button triggered. This woman sure did like shocking people, Kuvira thought.

“There’s still the tracker, but either way, I could easily remove it any time, regardless of my ability to disable it. Bataar’s lab has lots of tools to help with the simple operation. I just kept up with the charade because… to be honest, I don’t know. What would be the point of escaping?” Kuvira looked to the ground. “I have nowhere else to go.”

Korra’s focus softened and even Asami relented her galvanizing stare at the former Great Uniter.

“And Asami, I am especially sorry for your father’s death. Know that I did not mean it as a personal vendetta, it was just –”

“War,” Asami finished. She scoffed. “Nothing personal, right? To you it wasn’t personal, but to me it was. Your actions, even if you perceive them to be just, have consequences that can hurt others. Profoundly and personally.”

Kuvira knew Asami was right, but she didn’t have a consoling word to say. Realizing the impact of the death of one man, Asami’s father, gave her insight into the pain she no doubt caused others. 

“Which is also why I’m here,” Kuvira said, turning to Korra. “I came to apologize, but also to seek judgment. And justice. I wish to go to the Spirit World to see the Judgment Spirit, and I would like you to please guide me, Avatar Korra.”

Korra was silent a moment, then responded.

“It’s not that easy. There are only two ways to enter the Spirit World. One way is physically walking through one of the three portals – the southern portal at the South Pole, the northern portal at the North Pole, and the newest portal, the one you and I created, in Republic City. The other way is to meditate. And while you may seem free at the moment, you are still on house arrest, so – “

“I want to meditate into the Spirit World.”

“Also, I want to add that it’s not that easy to meditate into the Spirit World. It took me, the Avatar, a long time before I could forge any type of spiritual connection. And Tenzin is Avatar Aang’s son and an airbending master, and he can’t meditate into the Spirit World at all. What makes you think you can?”

“I know I can because I’ve done it before.”

The other two women in the room seemed shocked by this revelation. Kuvira took this as her cue to continue:

“I was a temperamental child. My parents ignored me most of the time, leaving me to play by myself with my toys. They couldn’t handle me, didn’t want to,” Kuvira began, a misty haze collecting in her eyes. “Anyway, being a lonely only child, I immersed myself in games in my head, and before I knew it, I found myself in the Spirit World. It was wonderful at first, but it was also a scary place for me, a little girl who couldn’t control her emotions, and so I stayed away from the Spirit World by blocking myself off from the thought of it. Eventually I convinced myself it was my imagination.”

“And you want my help getting it back?” Korra said.

“Even if you could, what makes you think you can handle it now? I mean, you come off all cool and collected, but I’ve seen you lose your temper,” Asami said.

Korra nodded in agreement.

“I did a lot of work on myself and spent a large part of my life working to control my emotions – to be a master, a true master, one must also master themself.”

Korra raised an eyebrow at Kuvira.

“But like I told you before, Avatar, I’m still working on it!” Kuvira spat back before Korra could respond but collected herself just as quickly. “I’m not a true master yet, but I’m working on it. I need to – fulfill my karma.”

“Who or what is the Judgment Spirit?” Asami said. She was no longer sitting and was now standing among the other women.

“It’s an old and powerful dogfish spirit that reads your heart and judges your deeds,” Kuvira said. 

“I heard about this spirit from my uncle, Unalaq. If it finds blemishes on your heart or evil Karma, it’ll take you to be cleansed… but that’s all I know,” Korra said, adding, “Kuvira, I’m not sure about this.”

“I am,” Kuvira said. “I need to know. I want… to do what’s right.”

“Then do it. Keep doing what you’re doing! Train me,” Korra retorted. Kuvira could see the Avatar getting worked up.

Kuvira shook her head.

“No, now I see I was selfish. It’s time to face Judgment, Korra.”

Korra slumped where she stood, defeated by Kuvira’s resolve. Asami rubbed Korra’s back for support but she seemed not to push back against Kuvira’s reasoning, except to protect her girlfriend.

“I’ll guide you,” Korra said. “I need to make sure my sifu is safe.”

“And I need to make sure you’re safe,” Asami said turning to Korra.

Korra kissed Asami, “Don’t worry baby. I’ve faced much worse.”

“It’s settled then,” Kuvira said.

“Does Su or Opal know?” Korra said.

“Yes they know. Opal insists on watching over me and helping with the ceremony, and Su… she doesn’t think it’s a good idea,” Kuvira responded. “But she promised not to interfere.”

With that the women planned Korvira’s trip to the Spirit World for later on that evening. 

*

They met by the river at the embankment where Korra and Kuvira had their little dancing lesson. – Kuvira, Korra, Opal, and Asami. The waxing moon was low in the sky and reflecting off the coursing river, and the autumn blew a fine evening wind.

Korra walked over to the stream and stuck her hand in it. The near-freezing water jolted her senses but the rhythm of it flowing against the rocks in tandem with the natural order of things made the chi within Korra’s body hum.

She remembered the lesson Kuvira taught her here, how they danced and Korra reconnected with a part of herself that had long been buried. And now she was here to help Kuvira do something similar, except with higher stakes. 

If it came down to it and Kuvira was judged unfavorably by the dogfish spirit, she wasn’t sure what she would do – would she respect Kuvira and the spirit’s wishes, or would she intervene? Despite it all, Kuvira had become Korra’s friend. And as much as she loved Asami and hated to see her love suffer over losing her father, Korra couldn’t help but be grateful for her own father’s life, thanks to Kuvira who saved him from Zaheer. 

The women prepared for the long ride entering the Spirit World. There was no guarantee Kuvira would even be able to get in, but they were going to try. Asami and Opal would watch over Korra and Kuvira respectively, who prepared the fire. Kuvira walked over to where Korra gazed at the reflection of the moon in the stream and bent several stones out of it, hovering and laying them in a circle around the scorched bit of earth where they had their last bonfire. Korra brought some logs and Asami assisted while Opal prepared the incense and cleansed the area with airbending. Once the logs were stacked, Korra bent fire and they all sat around.

Korrasami were nestled against each other, gazing into the fire. There was something utterly relaxing and mesmerizing about staring into it, which seemed to dance a lyrical freestyle and crackle to its own beat. Perfect for this occasion.

Korra kissed Asami then, out of the blue, because she felt like it and because she was entering the spirit world soon, and going in there with a wild card made her nervous.

Kuvira and Opal watched this public display of affection from their side of the fire. Kuvira looked at Opal who smiled shyly while watching them, her feet digging into the earth with her knees akimbo. She wondered what this look meant. Was Korrasami’s love something Opal wanted? Had? 

“Opal, I want you to know,” Kuvira said. “That I’m also doing this for us. I want to be… good, and I want to be good enough for you.”

“What are you talking about?” Opal said, turning to Kuvira.

“What do you mean?” Kuvira said.

“You want to be good?? Kuvira you are good. Being good and being right are two different things.” 

“I was wrong, then.”

“A lot,” Opal said, smiling and tucking her hair behind her ear. “But I see you trying. I do. And I love it.”

Kuvira’s heart fluttered and her head went light a moment. She wanted to scoop Opal up and kiss her and do things to her with Korrasami as their witness. But she couldn’t. Not yet. Instead, she reached out a hand and put it over Opal’s which was resting on her knee. She felt Opal tremble beneath her and pulled it away.

“Sorry, I –” Kuvira started to say, but Opal reached over and took her hand and they sat there quietly. 

Finally, Opal broke the silence:

“I’m nervous for you. I… don’t want you to go.”

“But I –”

“Have to. You really don’t. But I understand why you feel you do. That’s why I –” 

Opal stopped herself mid-sentence and Kuvira needed to know what she was going to say.

“You what?” 

Opal shook her head. “Nothing. I mean I like that about you.”

Kuvira grinned at this, her body electric from holding Opal’s hand there sweetly, innocently.

They looked back over at the other two women, who were still kissing. It looked as if they needed to be alone, and it excited Kuvira a little to watch this display. 

Ah to be in love like that. To know someone’s body and heart and mind and soul like that. Kuvira had hoped she would once again experience this, though she was well on her way. 

She caught herself being turned on by the other women and looked at Opal who thankfully didn’t seem to notice but was also navel-gazing.

“You shouldn’t stare,” Kuvira teased Opal, who responded by pulling away her sweaty palm from the other woman’s grasp and swiping at her playfully.

“I can’t help it. Just look at them,” Opal said. She tugged at Kuvira’s lustrous braid playfully. “I was always enamored with your hair. It’s so thick and silky.”  
Kuvira pulled her long braid around to the front and looked at it proudly. 

“It is said to be a sign of strength and vitality. Of a warrior,” she said, then chuckled to herself: “But of course you know these old stories because you also grew up being told them by your mother.” 

“I was lying too, partially. Truth was I was jealous of you. A lot. Not just your hair, but everything. And the way Mom looked at you as she taught you bending. She was so proud of her little protégé. And I was just a… nonbender,” Opal admitted.

“I had no idea you felt that way. And to be fair, I never thought you were weak – exactly the opposite. Anyway, I was jealous of you too,” Kuvira said. She looked down. “Because your mother loved you.”

“My mom loved, I mean she loves you,” Opal said.

“I mean my mother.”

Opal leaned in to hug Kuvira and they lingered there a moment before pulling away, both of them getting worked up by the way their bodies pressed against each other.

Finally, Kuvira called out to the Avatar and her girlfriend: “Korra, Asami, shall we?” 

The other women detached their lips from each other and nodded in agreement.

It was time.

Kuvira and Korra faced each other with the fire in the middle and sat cross-legged. Opal brought out an ancient Air Nation singing bowl and tapped it once every great while, when the vibrations of the previous ring had near fizzled out or met with the next solid thing or traveled with the current of the stream.

Korvira closed their eyes and concentrated on this sound and everything in between, the crackling fire, the rushing river, their own breathing. 

Several minutes passed and Korra lifted an eyelid.

“Anything yet?” 

“Not yet.” Kuvira said. 

“Oh. Me neither,”

“Duh, and shh!”

“Oops, sorry,” Korra said, leaning over to scratch her butt.

Kuvira, meantime, was starting to feel tension in her neck and lower back. She was a dancer and flexible but had to admit sitting still was difficult. She fidgeted where she sat, and Opal said:

“Try to relax.”

“I am relaxed!” Kuvira retorted, before realizing she wasn’t and laughing at herself.

She readjusted until she was comfortable and began again. 

In, out, in, out, Kuvira breathed slowly, traveling inward with her mind and keeping her mind’s eye transfixed on the dancing flame. Even though her eyes were now closed, she could see the flame behind her eyelids and inside of her mind. That’s where she focused. Until there was nothing else left. No thought, except for a gentle, focused nudge of her spirit to a subtler world. 

The next time she opened her eyes, the world had transformed.

Kuvira found herself in an open field with stalks of soft purple grass swaying gently in the breeze. Everything was more vivid. The world seemed contradictory – permanent, yet transient. 

Off in the distance were mountains, or was it the ocean? It was both and depending on how she looked, one took firmer shape over the other. Kuvira looked around and saw no one.

“Korra? Korra?” She called. 

A meerkat spirit popped out of a hole in the ground and said, “You don’t mean Avatar Korra do you? And you don’t mean to say she’s coming to the Spirit World?”

“Yes and yes,” Kuvira said.

“Great, just great. Every time she does anything it’s always a big to do. Well, I’m to-done!” The spirit said, crossing their cute little furry arms.

“By the way, you don’t happen to know where I can find the dogfish spirit?” Kuvia said.

“the dogfish spirit!?” The meerkat spirit said. “Why would you want to see her?” 

“It’s personal,” Kuvira said. “Now tell me where it is – please.”

“Okay, okay, no need to be so authoritative.”

“She lives in the sea o’er yonder. Go as if you’re headed somewhere, then get lost on the way. And once you’re lost, listen for the faint call, and follow it until it pierces your ears.”

“Oh, that’s all?” Kuvira said, not understanding this little spirit’s logic.

“Dems the directions,” the spirit said, and they dipped back into their hole. 

Kuvira looked off in the distance and saw the vast ocean had taken permanent shape before her eyes. She walked toward it in a time that seemed like forever but was also instantaneous. Suddenly she was at the edge of the sea at a small dock that held a sail boat. 

Climbing onto the boat, she inspected the sail and all of its parts. She didn’t know much about sailing but this was the Spirit World, and that was a spirit boat. What she figured in the end was that she would need a partner to help with the jib.

“Need a hand?” Kuvira heard a voice say.

She turned around and saw Korra standing at the dock.

Kuvira said gleefully, “Avatar, I’m glad you made it after all.”

“What are you talking about? I was right behind you the whole time,” the Avatar said, winking.

“If you say so,” Kuvira said. “All aboard!”

“Aye aye, Captain Kuvira.” 

“By the way, I don’t know a single thing about boats,” Kuvira said. “Do you trust me now?”

“Nope, but I’m taking the risk anyway, friend. I got your back.”

Korra climbed in. Luckily, she knew a thing or two about sailing from growing up in the Southern Water Tribe and sailing around the world when she went on her spirit-searching journey. She couldn’t use her bending here, so she had to do it the spirit-fashioned way.

They sailed toward nowhere, occasionally turning here and there and remembering to duck when the boom came swinging, until they were good and lost. The mist collected around them in the open sea and they couldn’t see much of anything.

“Anything yet?” Korra said.

“Nothing. Wait. Shh! I hear something!” Kuvira whispered excitedly.

A faint hum sounded – was it a woman singing? No, a woman couldn’t make those sounds, but it was sweet, and it seemed to call out to them.

“Follow that sound,” Kuvira said.

“There’s no more wind here,” Korra said. “Wait --”

Suddenly the wind picked up and bellowed the subtle sound of the music. They followed it, letting the wind guide them, the sound becoming a beautiful melody. 

“Oh Spirits, it’s so beautiful,” Korra said, her blue eyes losing focus as she became transfixed on the sound.

“It’s, it’s gorgeous. I needed to feel something – and now I have.” Kuvira fell to her knees.

Finally, the sound distorted and became a painful loud ringing that broke their reverie, and they found themselves clapping their hands to ears to muffle the sound, even though it rang all around and within them. They didn’t know how long they had daydreamed before their rude awakening, but Kuvira felt as if she was lost in place for ages, as if something had taken the time to scan her entire being.

The boat docked against the shore of a forest, and the two women climbed out and walked toward the beckoning, now silent but ringing inside of them. The dogfish spirit knew they were coming.

As they walked, spirits ran about hither and thither, showing themselves and then quickly disappearing in the shadows. The forest became dark and the trees took on menacing angles against the night sky. Glowing eyes populated the trees – small, vexing spirit animals.

Kuvira was afraid and cold, shaking to her core. She felt a sense of dread envelop her and her body resisted from going any further. She stopped.

“What’s wrong?” Korra said, placing a hand on Kuvira’s shoulder.

“Nothing, it’s just – ” 

But Kuvira now found herself a child again – Baby Kuvira with her longish braid and rounded tummy and green Earth Nation outfit. Everything was so big, and she was frightened by the tall figure next to her.

“Ahh! Who are you? I want to go home! I want my mommy!” Kuvira cried.

She dashed off deeper into the forest and away from Korra.

“Kuvira, wait!” Korra called, and chased after her.

The tree branches scratched Korra as she ran; the abject sounds of the forest reeked of dark spirits.

She found little Kuvira sitting curled into herself, crying. 

“There there, don’t cry,” Korra tried to reassure her.

“You’re not my mommy!” Kuvira yelled.

“OK then, cry. Maybe you need it. What’s wrong? Wanna tell me about it?”

Kuvira was silent and pouting with her little beauty mark resting beneath her tired eyes from crying. Korra saw what she had to do, and she transformed into Baby Korra with pigtails and a rounded outie belly that stuck out below her shirt. 

“Who are you?” Kuvira looked up at the scruffy looking girl, who stood next to her closer to eye level. 

“I’m Korra. What’s your name?” 

“Kuvira,” she sniffled.

“Why are you so sad?”

“I… don’t know. I miss my mommy,” she said, lowered her head. “I’m lonely.”

“I’m sorry. I don’t know where your mommy is but I can keep you company. Will you be my friend?” Korra said, holding out a dimpled little hand toward Kuvira. 

Kuvira looked up, hesitant at first but then saw the way Korra smiled with her big blue eyes and said. “OK.” She reached up and grabbed Korra’s hand.

The woods were still dark but had transformed into something less terrifying, and the spirits seemed less agitated in the shadows, their bright eyes turning from menacing slits to round and blinking.

Baby Korra and Kuvira walked hand in hand until they came upon a clearing with a pond in the middle. They unfastened hands and approached the pond, looking down into the blackness. It was small but something told them it was also immeasurably deep. 

They peered at their own reflections in the pond and realized it was not what they were used to seeing anymore, before transforming back into adult versions of themselves. 

*

The fire crackled. A couple of hours had gone by, and the late evening sky was littered with stars. Asami sat next to Korra and was staring into the fire while Opal sat next to Kuvira and did the same. The two didn’t speak much after the previous day's awkward exchange. But still there was an understanding between them, and the awkwardness would inevitably fade.

“How are things over here, ladies,” Suyin’s voice came from behind Asami.

Opal looked up and Asami turned around to greet the matriarch of the metal clan approaching them.

“We don’t know. Everything seems fine, as far as we know.”

“Kuvira was starting to sweat earlier, and a tear came down her eye,” Opal added.

Suyin walked over to Kuvira and looked at her for any other signs of distress. Her face seemed peaceful at the moment. She sat next to the fire and leaned Kuvira’s head to cradle into her and joined the watch party. Asami grabbed another log and placed it into the fire.

“I found out Jr. helped Kuvira out of her ankle bracelet. He seemed deeply sad about something,” Suyin said, shooting Opal a knowing look as she rubbed Kuvira’s back gently.

Opal squirmed a little and tried to think of something to say, but Suyin continued:

“But he also seemed at peace about something. Whatever was between them before, whatever unfinished business – they finished it yesterday.”

Opal smiled and tried not to make it seem obvious to her mother and Asami, but it was. She couldn’t hide from her mother’s knowing look and she suddenly felt like a teenager again.

“Mom, I – um, well, Kuvira and I – ” Opal began.

“I don’t know what’s going on, and frankly I don’t need to – not yet anyway,” Su said.

And they kept it at that for now. 

The three women sat there patiently, quietly in the night. The silence except for the fire and the stream and the nighttime cicadas was deafening. But they sat through the uncomfortableness until it once again became comforting to realize they were all there for the same reason – to support the women they cared about.

*

The Avatar and the Great Uniter stood next to each other at the edge of the pond, unsure of what to do next.

“Oh wise dogfish, we’re – well, I’m here to seek judgment,” Kuvira said with a steady and confident voice.

Just then the pond bubbled and out climbed a dog with fins and shiny black scales and front paws and a hind fish tail. It rested at the edge of the pond, keeping its tail swimming in the water, its gills opening and closing at the side of its face.

It did not look as menacing as Kuvira had pictured in her mind. On the contrary, it was kind of cute and inviting – a dog after all. That is, until it spoke, and a deafening growl heaved from its mouth.

Korra and Kuvira stepped back. Korra lowered her head but Kuvira kept her stare on the dog’s eyes. She was no coward, she told herself.

“The Avatar… and the Great Uniter,” the dogfish spirit hissed. “Two zesty humans come to play with powerful spirits. To seek answers to questions you don’t understand.”

Kuvira began: “I –“ 

“Silence!” the dogfish spirit said, now swimming around the edge of pond. “I have peered into your souls, into your human spirits. You have no idea about anything, and you know nothing! You seek judgment? Hahahaha!”

“Not me,” Korra intervened, lifting a finger. “I don’t seek judgment.”

“I said SILENCE!” A roar deafened both women into submission; the dogspirit turned to Korra. “You think this is the only other world? You, the almighty bridge? The Spirit World is the gateway to still more worlds, higher worlds. And lower. I decide whether your spirit deserves to swim in purgatory for 1000 years, or if you will be reborn an ant in the physical world, only to be crushed by a human foot! I decide whether to take to you a higher world or to throw you down to the dregs of pain and darkness for what feels like eternity because time does not exist there.”

The dogfish began crawling out and toward Kuvira; it had grown considerably and was several times its size by the time it towered inches above the former Great Uniter, who forced herself to stand her ground despite fear encompassing her.

“I need to know,” Kuvira demanded, “Whether I should suffer for what I’ve done.”

Again, the dogfish laughed. The sound filled the forest and echoed across the sea, distorted by and rising with the mist. Korra was alert and ready for action in case things quickly turned ugly.

The dogfish continued: “What you have done? You are insignificant! You have done nothing!” 

“I hurt people! I was selfish and power hungry! And… I almost killed my mother.”

“And you are selfish now to come here seeking penance without feeling true remorse; you wish to suffer for no reason but to prove to others you are not a coward. But are you willing to sacrifice… to give up what you hold dear?”

Kuvira wondered what that could be. She held her empire dear and lost that. Bataar, Su, Opal?

“You will suffer yet,” the dogfish said, adding, “but I am a benevolent spirit. I see greatness – and darkness – in both of you. You are not ready to be judged. First you must learn, and live.”  
The dogfish transformed down to size and was cute again. Korra furrowed her brow and made a face seemingly at the last thing the dogfish said.

“Consider this my warning. To judge you now would not bode well – for either of you. Leave here, and don’t come back for a long, long time – perhaps lifetimes. Oh, and once you leave the forest, you will find yourself where you need to be.”

Korvira bowed at the dogfish, who slinked back to the pond and shook its head and mumbled “humans” to itself before descending into the water.

Kuvira was dumbfounded by the whole ordeal. She did not understand what the dogfish meant. And by the looks of it, neither did Korra. But now her companion seemed troubled by something.

“Korra, what is it?”

“Something about what the dogfish spirit said about darkness” The Avatar shook her head, dismissing it for now, “but it’s nothing. C’mon, let’s get outta here.”

Korra led the way and Kuvira followed. They walked and walked until they came upon the edge of the forest. 

“Ready to face what’s out there?” Korra looked to her traveling companion who came to stand side by side with the Avatar.

Kuvira nodded.

They stepped out of the forest in a vast and beautiful grove of thick-trunked trees and large canopies providing shade from the dusky sun, which cast a reddish haze over the area. Korra looked around before halting her gaze; the blood drained from her face turning her copper skin a pale brown.

“Oh no,” Korra said.

“Now what? Where are we?” Kuvira was confused.

“Xai Bau’s grove,” an older masculine voice called from under one of the trees where Korra and now Kuvira fixated their eyes.

“Zaheer!” The women said in unison.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm really enjoying writing this story and find it is giving me life in these strange times.
> 
> Also, BB Korra and Kuvira... 🥺🥺🥺


	17. Kuvira's Redemption, Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning.

Zaheer sat cross-legged beneath a dragon blood tree with its dense, umbrella-shaped canopy and ruddy colored resin. His salt and pepper hair and beard were long and the look on his face severe. Like the great airbending master Guru Laghima, he had managed to empty and become wind yet remained imprisoned, ever-floating in shackles and meditating into the Spirit World. In the end, to outsiders, it seemed like little had changed in his life.

“Welcome back to Xai Bau’s Grove, Avatar Korra and… Kuvira, the former Great Uniter. Glad to hear you were defeated,” Zaheer said dispassionately.

“Glad to have helped defeat you,” Kuvira snapped back. She and Korra were alert and ready to act if need be, though they had no bending in the Spirit World.

“Relax, Avatar. Kuvira. I’m not going to hurt you – unless you give me a reason to.” Zaheer half-smiled.

“Then why are we here?” Korra said.

“You tell me. I’m always here. I didn’t summon you.”

Korra replied: “We just came from the dogfish spirit and – “

Zaheer laughed. 

“The dogfish spirit? Silly children. You were incredibly foolish to barge in on her. You’re lucky you made it out alive. However, if she let you live then maybe your purpose has yet to be served,” Zaheer said, rubbing his beard ponderingly.

“The dogfish spirit said we would end up where we needed to be at this moment. So why here, with you?” Kuvira said.

Zaheer uncrossed his legs and stood, facing the women. He was about their height and had square features. He considered the dogfish and women’s presence a moment, began:

“Neither of you understand what it’s like in the world. You grew up sheltered and powerful. And now as adults, you’re surrounded by powerful people. And all of you could easily abuse your power if provoked, to dire consequences.” 

“Isn’t that why you’re in prison – because you abused your power?” Korra met his gaze.

Kuvira squirmed a little at Korra’s retort, knowing it was true to her as well. But she sucked it up and kept her gaze on Zaheer steady. 

Zaheer continued: “I was a nonbender for the first forty years of my life, and I had an unremarkable upbringing. And yet my spiritual energy and focus made me strong. I knew my purpose and likewise made strides toward it long before I could bend. You two put so much of your identity into this part of you. Korra, remember you are the Avatar of nonbenders too. Likewise, it would make no difference to me if I lost my bending tomorrow. I’m in shackles but here I am in the Spirit World -- free. Nothing is more valuable than a person’s freedom.”

“Not everybody wants to be free,” Kuvira said. “Some people just want to be led.”

Zaheer considered this.

“You authoritarian-types... to make things go your way, your solution is always oppression – through force,” he seethed.

“So, was murdering the Earth Queen an accident, then? Because it sure seemed like you forced the air out of her lungs,” Korra said, taking on her no-nonsense Avatar tone.

“I assassinated the queen because she was a tyrant who caused her people to starve and suffer as prisoners to her selfish whims. It was a necessary evil for the greater good.”

“You left the Earth Kingdom in chaos. People who were already suffering suffered even more. I gave them stability, I gave them order. The lesser evil was I had to sometimes do what was necessary by force. But I never murdered anybody in cold blood,” Kuvira said. 

At this exchange, something clicked in Korra’s mind. She relaxed her stance and said: “Even if the Earth Queen was tyrannical, murdering her wasn’t the solution. Chaos isn’t a long-term answer. It can shake things up, but eventually life settles back down and finds balance. What I don’t know yet is what the right balance looks like. Maybe it looks different depending on the place and time and circumstance.” 

Zaheer nodded. 

“You may turn out to be a wise Avatar yet, Korra. The more you learn to think for yourself outside of what the White Lotus taught you, the better.”

“What I’m saying is you were wrong – you both were. Absolute chaos and absolute order – one inevitably leads to the other. And then what? Rinse and repeat,” the Avatar said, looking back and forth from Kuvira to Zaheer.

“I was wrong. I know this now,” Kuvira said. “But I was wrong boldly. I was wrong so boldly it caused innocent people to suffer in the wake. And I lied to myself using a kernel of truth to lean on – and anyone who didn’t align with my mission was dealt with accordingly – even people I loved.”

Zaheer remained steadfast in manner. His calmness frightened Korra but kept Kuvira interested. Kuvira thought about what the dogfish had said about suffering and the sacrifice she would make. What would she give up that she hadn’t already lost? She turned to Zaheer.

“Do you not feel any guilt? Any remorse for what you’ve done” Kuvira said – she had to know.

“I don’t feel guilty because it would weigh me down, whereas I am free – I’m no longer bound by earthly tethers,” Zaheer said. “But remorse is different from guilt. What actions are you willing to take to unravel and perhaps right your wrongs?”

Kuvira considered again, and a thought emerged that chilled her spine but likewise settled deep in her gut.

“You were a nonbender for most of your life, and you got a group of some of the most powerful benders in the world to follow you, to believe in you,” Kuvira said. “As a nonbender you were more vulnerable to the challenges of the world. You saw the world differently.”

“And you were always a powerful bender. You are privileged to have opportunities nonbenders would never have access too,” Zaheer said.

“You’re sounding like an Equalist,” Korra interjected. “But you have a point. A nonbender could never participate in a pro-bending match or pick up a lightning-bending gig at the factory.”

Kuvira made a tight fist and squeezed as hard as she could. She felt the pressure of her fingers against her palm as if it were material, but it was a projection of her spirit. Still, she dug her nails into her flesh until it hurt. Dread enveloped her; she knew what she had to do to restore her honor, and it meant saying goodbye to a way of life she was accustomed to. She turned to the Avatar.

“Korra, we should go now. I’ve received my answer,” Kuvira said calmly in her husky voice, trying to mask the urgency she felt inside.

Korra nodded.

“OK then,” Korra said. She turned to Zaheer, her stance was steady now, her face stern. “We’re leaving. Thank you for your help.” 

“Do I still frighten you, Avatar?” Zaheer said then, looking her in the eyes.

Korra could only keep her gaze and utter: “Yes.”

And with that Korvira’s spirit bodies dissipated into nothing, leaving Zaheer alone again in Xai Bau’s Grove.

*

When Korra opened her eyes, she saw the most beautiful face staring back at her – emerald green eyes with long lashes, pouty red lips and silken black hair dangling down almost to meet her gaze. She was lying on Asami’s lap horizontally on one of the couches in the back parlor. Metal chandeliers dangled from the high ceiling, which was covered in a classical fresco painting.

“You’re awake,” Asami said tenderly, looking down.

Korra smiled and lifted her hand to meet Asami’s. Asami leaned over and kissed Korra gently with soft lips sending tingling electricity through her and a sense of warmth and security. It took a few moments after the kiss for Korra to realize the room was filled with the Beifongs hovering over her looking concerned and curious.

“Where’s Kuvira?” Korra said. 

“She’s right here,” Suyin said, moving aside to reveal Kuvira unconscious on the couch across from them. She was flanked by Opal and Bataar Jr.

Kuvira groaned and batted her eyes open. She seemed confused as well but smiled at Opal and Suyin, then Bataar Jr. But her happiness appeared short lived because her olive complexion turned pale moments later, and she sat up abruptly.

“Everything OK?” Opal said?

“Take it easy,” Suyin added. “You were both out for eighteen hours. You must be exhausted. Everyone was starting to worry about you.”

“I wasn’t,” Huan said from a corner of the room where he hung back with Wei and Wing. 

Wing punched him in the arm. “Don’t say that!” Then he whispered not so quietly to his brother, “even if it’s true.”

Kuvira got up, apparently unphased by the brothers, and noticed the electrode belt around her waist. 

“This again?” she said.

“We couldn’t take any chances,” Asami chimed in. “You can easily unbuckle it, but it would take at least a few seconds -- long enough for me to zap you in case you came out of the Spirit World a threat.”

Korra smiled uneasily, but Asami had a point. If Kuvira decided she wasn’t sorry after all, they would all have to deal with it. But it didn’t seem Kuvira turned evil, though she had figured something out, and Korra wanted to know what it was.

Kuvira unbuckled the electrode belt and placed it on the coffee table. 

“You won’t be needing this. I’m not going to hurt anyone… I just… I need to be alone for right now,” Kuvira said, but then she glanced at the Avatar and remembered her mission. “Except for you, Korra. I need to talk with you, alone. Please.”

Korra figured Kuvira wanted to confide in her, probably the epiphany. She followed Kuvira to the hallway, leaving the Beifongs and Asami in the parlor. They made it to a space far away enough for no one to overhear. That’s when Kuvira abruptly dropped to her knees and bowed down to Korra and took her hand. 

“Korra, Avatar. I need you to do something for me. Please. I… humbly ask,” Kuvira said.

“What’s wrong? I mean, what is it?” Korra said.

“I want you to… Please…. Take my bending.” Kuvira forced herself to say the last bit with conviction. She dropped down lower to the ground. “I don’t deserve it. I need to know what it’s like… to be ordinary. I need to pay for what I’ve done.”

Korra didn’t know how to respond to Kuvira’s self-effacement; it wasn’t something she was used to seeing from the proud former Great Uniter. She pulled her hand away.

“What? No. No way.”

“I’m serious, Korra! Do it, please. For me, your friend.” 

Kuvira sounded more desperate than Korra had ever seen her. It was not a good look, and she hated to see her friend like this. 

“Even if I wanted to -- and I don’t -- I can’t. I don’t know how. I can only give people’s bending back. Not take it away. Besides, I think you need a good night’s sleep, and maybe we can get a fresh start tom--”

“No, no. That’s OK,” Kuvira said without looking up. She was slumped over on the ground, a look of abject defeat about her. But then she stood up and collected herself and forced a dignified appearance once again. 

“I understand. What was I thinking?” Kuvira said flatly. “But I did realize something else…”

Korra looked at Kuvira and nodded silently for her to continue. 

“I can no longer be your sifu. I’m sorry Korra. And thank you for accompanying me to the Spirit World. I will always look back and appreciate our friendship,” Kuvira said finally, placing a hand on Korra’s shoulder and looking in her eye for the last bit.

Korra placed her hand over Kuvira’s and smiled warmly. 

“I’m really tired,” Kuvira said. “I think I’m going to turn in and get some sleep. Good night.”

“Sounds good. Debrief tomorrow?” Korra said.

Kuvira turned and walked toward her room down the dark hallway lit by the waxing moon peeking in through windows.

*

That night, Korra dreamt...

It was the morning Kuvira came to ask Korra to guide her into the Spirit World to seek Judgment. She was seated at the coffee table gripping the handles of her chair watching Asami touch herself while she gave a play by play of her trysts with Kuvira. It turned Korra on to see Asami pleasure herself, and she wanted nothing more than to reach out a helping hand. Asami was dressed as if she was going to a business lady meeting in an open blouse and unzipped pencil skirt and stockings with seams running up the backs of the legs.

Korra couldn’t contain herself any longer and ran her hand along the texture of the stocking, starting from the foot and up the long leg slowly until her strong hand pressed against Asami’s, preventing her from moving away. Asami moaned deeply, and Korra looked up to catch the satisfaction on her girlfriend’s face but was shocked to see the person she was touching was not Asami; it was Kuvira.

“Kuvira?” Korra said. “What are you doing here?”

“Mmm, don’t stop, Avatar,” Kuvira said.

Kuvira’s dark hair hung loose; her lithesome figure shown through her tank top and sweat pantaloons, and Korra was particularly aware of the way Kuvira's tank was see-through and curved around her comely breasts.

“Korra, waddya say we try something?” Asami said.

She was now standing in the middle of the room. They were all close to one another forming a triangle. Korra gulped. Heat collected in her chest and sacrum, and she nodded.

Asami leaned toward Kuvira and kissed her passionately, a single dribble of spittle stretching between their lips as they pulled away.

The room turned dark; spirit vines climbed the walls and twisted around the furniture.

“I’ve been wanting to try this for a really long time,” Asami said, teasing her finger along Korra’s collar bone before finding the middle and moving down to graze her sculpted abs beneath her shirt.

“You did? Me too,” Korra said, sensitive to Asami’s slight touch.

“Me three,” Kuvira husked, running her fingers through Korra’s hair and bringing her lips millimeters apart from Korra’s to hover there momentarily before planting a kiss.

Both of the women were caressing Korra, and she ran her hands along both women, tracing the edge of their skirt and pants, dipping her fingers down slightly to the bare skin underneath.

Korra was lost in a haze of arousal while Asami necked her until she felt a pinch of sharp teeth and winced and said “ouch!”

Asami pulled back to reveal Korra’s blood dribbling down her chin and elongated canines.

Korra clasped her hand to her neck to cover the wound, but she was still bewitched by the moment.

“Asami, what’s going on,” she managed to say.

“Shh.” Asami said, pressing her lips again her lover’s. “Do you trust me?” She breathed.

“Of course,” the Avatar replied.

“What about yourself?”

Korra was silent, and Asami continued:

“Remember that scary mover we saw at the drive-in?”

Korra nodded. “I remember that mover. It gave me nightmares,” she said.

“I know, poor baby. My big strong Avatar is sensitive to stuff like that,” Asami said, rubbing Korra’s arm and squeezing her muscles.

Korra looked over to Kuvira, who had also transformed into a fanged creature of the night, just like in the movers. They wore black and were ghostly pale, Asami’s raven hair and red lipstick beguiling and Kuvira’s beauty mark beneath her right eye alluring. 

“Let’s go to bed,” Asami breathed in Korra’s ear, sending shivers down the Avatar’s spine.

Asami took Korra’s hand and led her to the bed, laying the Avatar down on her back in the center. The bed had transformed into the massive canopied one from Asami’s country home outside of Republic City with spirit vines encircling its posts. Asami climbed atop the bed on one side of Korra, Kuvira on the other. 

They were kissing her neck and moving their hands down Korra’s abs to her sacrum and beneath her pants. Korra moaned and squirmed, lifted her pelvis up to meet their touches, begged for more.

That’s when Asami bit down again on Korra’s nape and sucked.

“Ah,” Korra bellowed, paralyzed, unable to move, unwilling to.

She felt another piercing bite at her wrist and angled her eyes down to see Kuvira drinking, meeting Korra’s gaze with hers. Korra rolled her eyes back in pain and ecstasy until her body was pale and limp.

“Asami, I – “ Korra tried to say.

But her love placed a finger over her lips, said “shh.”

Both Asami and Kuvira’s pale faces had become vibrant and full of color. Korra shivered.

“I’m cold.”

“Let me warm you up, baby,” Asami said, taking her long nail and scraping it against the top of her breast until a dark red rivulet of blood dribbled down. She sat Korra up and said “drink.”

Korra leaned in, hesitantly pressing her lips against the opening and drinking slowly at first but then ravenously as the warmth of the blood filled her shivering body. She drank greedily and felt Asami’s body hum against hers as Asami moaned loudly. Korra’s heart thrummed and she felt herself coming undone. Wind encircled the bed and debris flew all around. Korra’s eyes were glowing – RED. She lifted her lips from Asami’s weakened bosom and said polyvocally, “More.”

Kuvira offered her wrist, and Korra yanked it greedily, plunging her now elongated canines into Kuvira’s throbbing pulse. Kuvira let out a howl and arched her back as she sacrificed herself to the Avatar.

Just then, Korra saw Zaheer hovering at the foot of the bed, his hair swaying with the invisible breeze. The bed was now in Xai Bau’s Grove during a reddish orange twilight.

“You are a liability to the world,” Zaheer said.

“No,” Korra tried to denied him, dropping Kuvira’s wrist. “I want to help. I’m good. I’m –”

But then she looked down and noticed Kuvira had disappeared. Asami had fallen into a pale slumber.

“Kuvira? Where is she? What did you do to her?”

“She needed to face her demons. And so do you,” Zaheer said, his voice beginning to fade.

“I don’t understand!” Korra cried, eyes still glowing red. “Help me!”

Korra jolted awake. She was huffing and sweating.

With eyelids half shut, Asami mumbled “What’s wrong, baby?”

“Nothing. I had a terrible nightmare, I…” Korra had a hard time finding the words to describe it.

“It’s OK. I’m here. It was just a dream. Besides, I won’t let anything happen to you,” Asami said, placing a reassuring hand on Korra’s and entwining their fingers as she snuggled closer.

Korra leaned in to give Asami a much-needed kiss.

“What time is it?”

“Early,” Asami guessed.

Korra massaged Asami’s back and trailed her hand along her thigh.

“Can I tell you something?” Korra said. She was shaken and slightly aroused from the dream.

“Of course, anything,” Asami said softly in her morning voice.

“When I went into the Spirit World with Kuvira, the dogfish reminded me of something… about Harmonic Convergence,” Korra began. “When I re-merged with Raava, I think –”

An urgent knock sounded at the door, interrupting Korra. Their heads jolted toward the origin of the sound.

“Korra, Asami,” Suyin called as she continued to knock. “Wake up. It’s an emergency.”

“We’re awake,” Asami called. “Come in.”

Suyin opened the door and stood near the entrance, the subtle morning light casting a shadow over her devasted face.

“It’s Kuvira. She’s gone,” Suyin said.

Korra sat up abruptly. Her body went cold a moment. Asami, seemingly just as surprised, got up and threw her robe on, and Korra forced herself to snap out of whatever early morning, post-nightmare stupor she was in. Suyin motioned for the couple to follow and they made their way to Kuvira’s room.

Her bedroom featured origami metal sculptures and prototypes of metal weapons and armor as well as esoteric cultivation books from the library scattered about. The window was wide open with the drapes swaying gently in the breeze and a humble full-sized bed beneath it.

The center of the room was open and clear except for a few droplets of blood sprinkled on the floor and a crumpled mass of copper, both of which Korra inspected. She followed Suyin to the washroom and found hair. Everywhere.

“I found this and a note that simply said ‘donate it’,” Suyin said, lifting up Kuvira’s long thick braid. “But that’s it. No other word. Opal said she found the room like this.”

Opal stood in the doorway, leaning against the foundation and silently watching the other women snoop about the room for clues. She wasn’t crying but her eyes were red and puffy as if she had been.

“What do we do, do we call the police?” Asami said, deferring decision making to Suyin and Korra.

They were all quiet a moment, finding themselves in a difficult position.

Suyin picked up an open book which sat at the foot of Kuvira’s bed. A couple of pages were ripped out where it was open, and she inspected it. Recognizing this book and realizing what pages were stolen, she closed her eyes and slammed it closed.

“Here’s what we do – nothing until tomorrow. Or the next day. We’ll call the authorities in Republic City to report that Kuvira escaped, eventually. But she’s no longer a threat – to anyone,” Suyin said.

“What do you mean?” Korra and Asami both said at the same time.

“I mean, we’ll give her an ample head start,” Suyin said finally.

A tear shone in Opal’s eyes and she covered it up before heading out of the room abruptly.

*

The night before…

Kuvira made up her mind, and if the Avatar wasn’t going to help her, she had to help herself.

Standing in the middle of her room, she bent a clump of rare metal from where it rested with her other projects. This type of metal was known for its strength and resiliency. It floated in front of her and she concentrated on pushing and pulling at it, kneading out its impurities as specs of dust fell to the ground. She had worked on this project a month as a strength training exercise to level up her metalbending.

The shiny metal reflected her face, which broke a distorted sweat. Maintaining her focus and making gestures with her hands and arms, she separated it into two even clumps, forming them into daggers with sharp edges and ready-made hilts. Finally, she etched her signature flower at the base of the daggers before lifting them up to eye level as she inspected them. The daggers spun and flung toward the wall, hitting it precisely where she aimed and not a millimeter away.

Satisfied, Kuvira walked over to retrieve the daggers and grab a pouch of tiny needles, another precision tool she had practiced with in recent months.

Next, she sat at the foot of her bed and studied the sacred text detailing various acupressure points in the body and how they each contributed to bending, paying particular attention to the main channel along her center. If she destroyed or blocked these special points, her bending would be gone forever. The thought had intrigued her, but she didn’t think then that she would eventually use it on herself.

It was almost time to sacrifice what she prized most – her power, her bending. As one of the most powerful women in the world that even the almighty Avatar could hardly stand up to, she would never know what it’s like to live as an ordinary person. She would never truly understand the world or relate to the people in it, and she would never truly be sorry for what she’s done until she broke away from her sheltered existence at the Beifong Estate where she had spent most of her life a ward – a daughter – of Suyin.

She thought of Opal then. Dearest Opal, the little girl she used to scorn but who now made her heart pound out of her chest at the thought. And the sight of Opal – well, it would be too difficult to look her in her big eyes. Either way, Kuvira would probably never see the girl she had come to love again, because she was never coming back. Not until she paid off her debt to society; not until she restored her honor. And that could take years, if not the rest of her life. She decided if she was going to do anything, it would be with great dignity.

Taking a pen and paper then, she wrote Opal a note. It read:

Dear Opal,

I want you to know I care about you more than anyone I’ve ever met, which makes it difficult to write this. You deserve happiness – something I can’t give you. But maybe Bolin can. Don’t break up with him. He’s a great guy – I know, I was his boss for three years.

Anyway, I’m sorry. For everything.

~~L~~

Kuvira

She sealed the letter in an envelope and placed it with other accoutrements she had packed for her journey.

There was just one more thing she had to do to prepare, and it was almost as hard as the deed itself. If Kuvira no longer possessed the strength of a warrior, then she no longer deserved her braid.

Standing in front of an oval-shaped mirror in the wash room, she bent a pair of scissors high in the air and, holding her braid up, snipped. She continued to cut across the braid, sawing through the hair until it was nothing but a coil of silken rope, which she placed on the counter. Her hair was a stump in the back and longish on the sides, which wasn’t quite her vibe, so she continued to cut until it was cropped close to her head in a pixie style. In the mirror, her reflection showed her beauty mark and thick eyebrows appeared more dramatic as did her severe bone structure and a jagged jawline. Not too bad, she thought, though she lamented the loss of her hair, which took years to grow that long – and under soon-to-be former circumstances.

If she was honest with herself, she thought she would miss her hair more, but it made her lighter, more agile. She wore a black outfit made for action and style, but the copper adornment was too brassy for the simple life she was about to lead. She bent most of it off of her, leaving slots only for her daggers and needles as well as a simple arm bangle which she kept to remember her unexpected friendship with Korra. And if she was being extra honest with herself, she would say Korra had become her best friend. Too bad the Avatar would never know how much of an honor it was to be her sifu.

Finally, it was time to say goodbye.

Kuvira lit incense, placing them at an alter in her room and took a seat on her knees in the middle of the open space, the tiny needles piled next to her. She closed her eyes; a delicate wind rustled against her neck, sending shivers down her spine. After several minutes of quiet contemplation, she bowed down low, letting her head kiss the ground three times before kneeling with her back pin straight.

Keeping her eyes closed, she bent three needles in the air to hover a few feet in front of her chest in a horizontal formation. In order to do this delicate procedure, she would have to focus in the utmost, channeling her awareness inward. The key to precision was not only focus, but do so in such a way that nothing else existed, that all else faded to black.

She focused on those inner acupressure points until nothing else in the world existed and they throbbed within her. And with conviction, she flung the needles straight through the points, through her body and onto the floor behind her, sending the former Great Uniter tumbling over like a toppling tower.

She coughed and wheezed, feeling her body constrict as if parts of her were shutting down. It was too much for her to take and she fainted out of shock.

Sometime later, she never figured how long, she awoke, weak and thirsty for water. She coughed and droplets of stale blood sprayed on the floor in front of her. Everything was so heavy, all of her limbs and bones. It was as if something inside of her was missing, but she couldn’t figure out what, until she collected the needles and realized they felt dead in her hand. They no longer hummed, no longer bent to her will.

Kuvira decided to test it out further, letting the needles drop to the ground and trying to bend them upward to no avail. She looked at her hands. “What have I done,” she said dryly to herself. But what was done was done. What was done could not be undone.

Taking a jug of water, she took a long glug.

She limped to her bed where she had her bag packed and a large forest green cloak, which she draped around her, lifting up the hood to obscure much of her face. In her pocket, she realized she had placed a letter to Opal, which she positioned at the edge of the bed next to the book. She knew Opal would look at the book if she came in.

And with that, Kuvira took one last look around, too weak to process what she had done and needing every drop of energy to make it somewhere deep in the Earth Kingdom or beyond, where nobody would find her and she could repent alone. Likewise, she knew that once she left, she would not allow herself to indulge in looking back, lest she collapse and it would all be for naught.

The night sky was billions of speckled stars and a violet halo emanating from the ground up because it was the time of night and year when the moon had set and the sun had yet to rise. And Kuvira climbed out her room window to meet it.

***

End of Part 1

To be continued...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those of y'all who made it this far, thanks for sticking around! I didn't expect my first fanfic to turn into a full-blown story, but here we are.
> 
> Also, I wanted to note that the Kuvira haircut scene came about because I pictured Kuvira with the same haircut as S5 Catra from She Ra, and it looked cute in my mind. Sometimes I'm really that simple.
> 
> Up next is part two of this wild ride.
> 
> Edit: Hang in there -- it all pays off. Trust.


	18. The Stranger (Kuvira Alone)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Avatar's Master, Part 2
> 
> It's one year later, and Kuvira's on a journey.

One year later…

In a small desert town deep within the former Earth Kingdom, a scorpion lazed its way across the dirt path on Main Street. The air was hot and dry, even for autumn when the sun would blaze a cloudless heat in the day and the night would cool down to freezing.

The boardwalk on Main was lined with shanty buildings leading toward the train station, the town’s lifeline back to wider civilization save for the long dirt road wending hundreds of miles around and through other such towns. The region was called Isaan, and the town was named after it.

But still, hundreds of years after its settlement, Isaan had yet to modernize, yet to attract much more than fur trappers and miners or outlaws and other anonymous travelers passing through. And in that way, it became known for its transient population, providing bars and brothels and boarding. The locals often longed for a way out or were too afraid, too settled in their desert isolation to know anything different. 

Three burly men wearing assorted shades of green rode through Main Street on camelelephants, passing by the scorpion who raised its pointed tail in defense as dust kicked up behind them. They tied their camelelephants up in front of a saloon and followed the leader with his cocksure gait behind the swinging double doors.

Inside the saloon people went about their business at this table or that, playing Pai Sho here or card games there. The smell of cigar smoke and stale fire whiskey filled the room, and the men took a seat at the bar, their backs facing a dark corner where a mysterious patron had sat quietly for hours in the shadows, sipping cup after cup of hot leaf juice.

A barmaid making her rounds approached. 

“Refill stranger, or can I get you something a little stronger?”

The stranger did not look up, her face obscured by her wide-brimmed hat and most of her body buried in the shadows. She was watching the men at the bar.

“Fine. I’ll take a dark ale,” the stranger husked in a sultry voice.

The barmaid nodded and collected the empty tea cup. Soon, she came back around with a deep brown ale. She noticed the stranger’s steady gaze on the men at the bar and said:

“Those guys over there – they’re thugs if you ask me.”

“Oh?” This admission piqued the stranger’s interest, and she titled her hat back to take a look at the gal. A young and comely woman with doe-like hazel eyes nodded. The stranger continued, “Well, I didn’t ask, but now I’m even more curious. So please, do tell.”

“They come once every coupla weeks – to collect what they call tithings. Say it’s for protection, yadda yadda yadda, you know the drill. Anyway, it’s a little more serious because they work for a warlord-type in this area. While some cities, especially the modern ones, transitioned easily to democracy after the fall of the Earth Empire, other places – forgotten ones like this – have become pockets of territories ruled by – “

“I see,” the stranger interrupted, not needing to hear more. She already knew about the political situation and could likewise smell henchman a mile away. Deciding it wasn’t worth it, she moved on from the topic. “How much do I owe you?” she said.

The bar maid smiled and shook her head. 

“It’s on the house.”

“Thank you. Cheers,” the stranger, relieved because she was broke, lifted the glass and smiled back before taking a swig of the warm, bitter ale. 

The stranger noticed the barmaid’s gaze lingering on her for longer than she felt comfortable, and she tilted the brim of her hat farther down and went about watching the men.

Blustering at the bar, the leader, a head shorter than the other two but with a mouth twice as wise, demanded a shot of something strong to give him and his posse a jolt – on the house of course.

The bartender could only nod and grit through his teeth “Coming right up.”

“And while we’re drinking it, I want you to get your tithings ready because we’re here to collect – or else,” the leader said, bending clumps of dirt in the air menacingly, his goons following suit.

“You think just because you’re a bender you can tell me what to do!” The bartender said, shaking his finger at the leader, who reciprocated by flinging a small stone at the bartender’s temple as a warning.

“No, I tell you what to do because it’s for your own protection, but the bending sure helps,” the leader said.

A laugh sounded from the corner of the room and the men turned around to see the mysterious stranger sitting there.

“Something funny?” Goon Number One said?

“I didn’t say anything,” the stranger said.

But she had laughed. It caught her by surprise, listening to the men boasting about their bending as they lifted pieces of dirt with stances flimsier than a house of cards. Of course now the thugs were making a ruckus and had disturbed her quiet contemplation, and she found herself amused by the whole thing.

“Good. You better mind your own business before I teach you a little sumthin too,” the leader said in a nasally voice, cupping his hand over his junk and gesturing toward her. 

To the stranger’s eyes, he resembled a disloyal weasel rat, the kind that she used to put down on the regular, but she had changed – for better or worse – and so merely replied “Fair enough.”

The bartender attempted to break the tension and avoid disturbing the other saloon patrons.

“Your tithings,” he said, plopping a bag at the bar in front of the men. The leader swiped the bag, keeping a watchful eye on the stranger in the corner, that is, until the barmaid walked by collecting a round of empty glasses.

“Say, sweetheart,” the leader said with a toothy grin, grabbing her by the arm, “is this a one stop shop, or do I still gotta go to the brothel to get my kicks?”

The barmaid yanked her arm back. “One: I ain’t your sweetheart. Two…”

“Well, what’s the rest?” Goon Number Two said after a long pause.

“Now, now,” the bartender chimed in. Let’s calm down here. “The brothel is across the way. So if you please take what you came for and –”

“Beat it,” the barmaid said. 

“Not until you tell us what two is darlin’” the posse leader said, his eyes traveling the length of her.

The creepy way he said it and his shameless gaze caused her to visibly cringe, and she was out of ideas.

“Two seconds,” the stranger’s voice sounded from where she sat.

Annoyed by yet another interruption, the leader slammed his hand down at the bar and grabbed his drink, bringing it to his lips and facing the stranger. Before he took a sip, he said “Well then, partner, it looks like I’m gonna show you after all. This saloon – it ain’t big enough for you, so --”

“You mistake me. I meant you have two seconds to take your “tithings” and get out… or else I’ll teach you something. The hard way.”

He chuckled foolheartedly and lifted the glass up to his lips, but it was abruptly smashed out of his hand by a cracking whip.

“Get her!” He cried to his goons after recovering from the shock of it.

The goons bent clumps of dirt and sand into a solid mass, flinging it toward the woman. She cracked her whip at the clump, dissipating the dirt and standing up in one swift motion. She wore a cloak which she shrugged off to reveal a lean muscular figure in all black, whip-lasso combination in hand. 

“Please! Take this outside!!” The bartender yelled. Brawls and showdowns were common here, so he was well versed in coaxing people out.

They all walked out into the middle of Main and faced off about thirty paces apart under the high noon sun. The three goons were cracking their knuckles and smiling devilishly as if the stranger were a snack.

The stranger limbered up, steadying her hands and preparing for action. She remembered her wide-brimmed hat and, removing it, tossed it to the barmaid, who had come out along with a small crowd to watch the standoff from the sidelines.

The barmaid twirled the hat and bit her lip at the mysterious stranger, a handsome woman with sun kissed skin whom she felt didn’t quite belong in this rough and tumble world. She got a glimpse of her short hair and striking face. If she didn’t know any better, the stranger looked familiar. Or at the very least, she had seen that face before, but she couldn’t place it. 

But considering how she talked proper with an upper-class lilt, she definitely wasn’t a typical lowlife wanderer. 

“I’ve been aching for practice taking on benders, and then the spirits send me you hoodlums,” the stranger said, a smile settling on her lips.

“After we’re done teaching you a lesson, we’re going to take you – and the bar wench – to that brothel right there and have a little fun,” the leader said. 

“Men like you don’t deserve to be benders,” the stranger retorted and just as quickly bolted toward them, flipping in the air and kicking up dust. 

The goons responded by bending up more dirt from the ground and flinging it toward the woman, who dodged and struck the mounds causing a frenzy of dirt and dust all around. 

By the time Goon Number One realized what was happening, the stranger was already coming in hot and heavy at close range, doing quick punches and kicks with seeming precision before landing a spinning back kick across his face. The goon fell to the ground and tried to crawl away.

“Pathetic,” the stranger said, watching this sad display and swinging her lasso around the goon’s legs, roping him in and finally knocking him out with a square kick to the jaw. 

She grabbed a needle from her pouch and flung it at a point on the goon’s neck and dodged a blow from the second goon just in time. Goon Number Two ground his legs down and raised a pillar of earth under her, and she did a somersault, landing upright in a four-limbed position a few feet away as if she were a predator ready to pounce.

“Mediocre,” she said, maintaining laser focus on her target. 

She flung a tiny needle at the man’s neck, and he fell hard. Then she approached and hit him at specific points on his arms and legs, turning them to jelly, chi blocking him.

There was just one more Fool to take care of – the littlest one with the biggest mouth, the gang leader.

He was slinking off toward the saloon and the stranger pulled out a dagger and threw it in the direction of the man, stopping him dead in his tracks as it flew by an inch in front of his face and landed in the wall.

The leader motioned to bend the dagger but it did not move.

“So, it’s a rare kind of pure metal then? Smart, but how about this?”

He bent metal from his vestments, creating a spinning disc and flinging it toward the stranger, who tucked and rolled but not without getting scraped on the arm. The metal flew by and halted in the air before coming back around toward the stranger, who dodged again, this time extracting another dagger and throwing it at the guy’s leg, missing a main artery by centimeters.

The spinning metal disc dropped to the ground and the man screamed, fixating his gaze on his leg. The stranger took the opportunity to come in closer and throw another needle at the man, rendering him dumb and numb from the neck down.

“So you’re a metalbender,” the stranger said, bending over and pulling out the blade before wiping it off and putting it back in its hilt. “Adequate. But still – it’s clear you learned your pitiful technique from a third-rate hack.” 

“What have you done to me?! To all of us?”

The other men were still paralyzed on the ground, one of them unconscious. 

“Relax Fool. I was merciful. You’ll be like this for a few hours, and then you can go about your wretched lives,” the stranger said.

“Bitch!” the pack leader said.

The stranger bent down and looked him in the eye before yanking out the needle. 

“Goon Number Two over there won’t be able to bend for a day and a half. I blocked his chi in places he didn’t know existed. And you can thank my benevolence that your wounds will heal – if I wanted, I could have made the effects permanent -- I could have struck an artery in your stupid little leg.”

The barmaid approached and looked at the man crumpled on the floor. She narrowed her eyes and bent down.

“You wouldn’t tell your boss that all three of you were beat by a nonbender, would you? I mean, he’d prolly halfta replace you,” the bar maid said with a smug look on her face. 

Back in the saloon, the stranger gathered her bag and cloak. The barmaid once again approached with a bit of a blush on her face and handed the stranger her hat.

“Don’t forget this,” the barmaid said.

“I didn’t. It’s my favorite.”

“So then either way you’d halfta come talk to me.”

The barmaid smiled. Her attempt at flirting was not lost on the stranger, who replied:

“Those guys out there, that little posse – they’ll be back I presume.”

“Yea, but don’t worry about them. They’re disgraced. They won’t try anything fresh for a few months.”

The stranger nodded. “Good. I’m going to head out, then. Thank you for the drink.”

The stranger turned to go but was stopped by the barmaid’s hand on her arm. 

“If you don’t mind, what you’re name? I’m Bae.”

“I’m…Pang,” the stranger said. 

In a vulnerable moment at the young woman’s touch, she had almost revealed her real name – Kuvira – but caught herself.

“Stay a little longer, please,” Bae said, adding. “After my shift. I can cook up a fine dinner – fine for this dump anyway.”

“I’m not hungry,” Kuvira lied.

“And boarding. Free dinner and a room for the night to rest your weary bones,” Bae said. “C’mon, please.”

Being broke left Kuvira few options, and so she yielded to the young woman’s offer also knowing it was a near sin to deny freed food and lodging when one needed it. 

*

Bae’s little earth shack was in one of many dusty corners of town. It was a single room with a half wall to give the allusion of more rooms and contained a fire place with two rocking chairs facing it and a bed made for two. A small table was situated in a dining area and there was no bathroom, just an outhouse. 

“It ain’t much, but it’s a roof over my head and a place to keep me warm in the freezing night,” Bae said, giving Kuvira the very brief tour.

Kuvira placed her bag down, relieved to have found shelter for the night. 

“It’s perfect,” she said. 

Kuvira noticed a picture on the wall, one the few adornments of the modest home. It was a picture of Bae and a young man. They appeared to be together.

“My husband. He died about two years ago… two years ago this month, actually,” Bae said, noticing Kuvira looking at the picture. 

Kuvira saw Bae wilt a little at this painful memory and began to understand the young woman’s eagerness for company. 

“I’m sorry,” Kuvira said. “May I ask… how?” She had a feeling about something that made her gut churn.

“A battle… against the Great Uniter’s Army. He fought to keep this land, but it was no use. He was a good man. My man,” Bae said, struggling to keep it together. 

Kuvira was lost in a memory of coming through this town, of taking it over and establishing a train station, and of the brave little scalawags that refused to give it up. During Kuvira’s three-year quest to create a united earth empire, some city-states and regions yielded peacefully; others, however, did not. Either way, Kuvira had all but achieved her goal in the end save for Republic City. 

“You remind me of him, Pang. That’s why I liked you. But also, you’re not a man, and so that’s why I trusted you.”

“You shouldn’t,” Kuvira said.

“OK, then. I won’t.” Bae winked at her. She continued, “I’m gonna put dinner on.”

“Can I help you with something?” 

“Sure. How about you start the fire place? The logs are out back.”

Kuvira nodded and headed to the side of the house to fetch wood, which incidentally needed to be chopped. The moon was full and bright in the open sky and a chill had suddenly gripped the air. To warm herself up, she grabbed an axe, which rested against the home, and placed the logs on the tree stump, one by one chopping them with vigor and precision. At every phase of her life, chopping wood had been a meditative and rhythmic experience. She thought of the old adage about how after a monk climbed up the mountain and reached enlightenment, they came back down and chopped wood again. Before and after, chopping wood. 

The motion of it temporarily soothed Kuvira’s restlessness, spurred further by the small space and the young widow. Bae’s husband seemed the kind of guy she would have wanted leading troops in her army, and she vaguely remembered the valor some dissidents displayed – a shame to her at the time to have to cut down good people like that. But in the end, she couldn’t place this man. In the end he died bravely, anonymously, with hardly any witnesses to remember him save for his lonely widow. 

At any rate, there wasn’t much wood because resources were scarce around these parts, but what Bae had could last awhile if she was careful. Kuvira gathered up a few logs and some kindling after stacking the rest neatly, hopefully making Bae’s life easier in the smallest way, a gesture perhaps meaningless considering but nonetheless quietly acknowledged.  
Back inside, Kuvira started the fire and the smell of hot stew comingled with woodfire, filling the modest abode. 

“Dinner,” Bae said not long after that, and they sat across from each other at the small table tucked against the wall and gave thanks for the homemade bread and stew before digging in.

Kuvira was quiet, focusing her meal. It wasn’t half bad, and especially because she was ravenously hungry, she had to control herself from gobbling it all up. So she sipped at it slowly and dipped her bread in occasionally and enjoyed every moment of the meal. That is, until Bae started asking questions. 

“So, what brings you through town?” Bae said. 

“I’m walking the Earth,” Kuvira said without looking up.

“Well you ain’t like other folks ‘walking the Earth’ round here. For one, you talk fancy.”

Kuvira laughed at this.

“Me? I talk… fancy? And what does that mean exactly?”

“’And what does that mean exactly’,” Bae imitated Kuvira, overexaggerating her accent, annunciating every syllable.

Kuvira didn’t realize she had an accent, though, now that Bae mentioned it, her host did have a twang she found endearing. 

“We’re all part of the Earth Nation but we’re also a bunch of distinct cultures doing our own thing. I talk crap about this town, but I love it and it’s my home. Been aching to travel though… ever since my husband, well, you know,” she said slumping down.

“I, I’m sorry…for your loss,” Kuvira said solemnly. 

“We were gonna have a baby next,” she wiped a tear from her eye. “But, I don’t want to drag you down. Alls I’m saying is I’ve seen folks come in and outta here my whole life. You’re an outlaw.”

Kuvira turned red and she suddenly felt exposed without her hat on.

“But don’t worry,” Bae added. “I ain’t an elephant rat. And you don’t have to talk about yourself if you don’t want to.”

The former Great Uniter could only nod appreciatively though remained skeptical.

“Thank you kindly for the dinner, by the way,” Kuvira said finally. 

She finished every last bite to show respect for her host, though she would have done it anyway.

After dinner, they made their way to sit in front of the fire and absorb its warmth. Kuvira nestled in the rocking chair and sat with her legs splayed, enjoying a rare restful moment in which she could be utterly present.

Bae sat next to Kuvira in the other dilapidated rocking chair. They rocked awhile, and Bae took knitting while Kuvira cleaned and shined her daggers, admiring her own craftsmanship in the process. She had been devasted to sacrifice her bending but eventually learned to accept it. 

And now, she wandered from town to town in search of something she could not yet name. Was this purgatory, she wondered?

At bedtime, Bae placed a blanket on the floor in front of the fireplace, and Kuvira leaned against her bag as a pillow and draped her cloak over her, before settling into sleep.

In the late evening after the fire had died out and the cold slowly settled in the small room, Kuvira curled unto herself and pulled the blanket from under her to drape around as a second layer. She closed her eyes and nearly found sleep again until a rustling from the bed behind her sounded and Bae hovered over her.

“Come on in bed with me,” she said.

Wordless, Kuvira got up and followed Bae to bed, where she lay next to her, both now under the covers. Kuvira was no longer sleepy but became painfully aware of the woman to her side and how their arms touched. 

Slowly, Kuvira felt a hand inch toward hers and hold it delicately. She almost pulled away reflexively but then heard a quiet sobbing next to her, neither woman looking at each other but straight up in the air. Allowing her hand to linger there, Kuvira said:

“I’m not available, emotionally. I mean, I love someone…” 

Bae breathed heavily as if trying to reel in her sobs before saying: “You remind me so much of him. I’m sorry. I know you’re prolly not. I just – would like to pretend he’s sleeping here next to me.”

Unsure of what to do next, Kuvira followed her instincts and rolled over to spoon Bae, holding her gently and cuddling that way for what felt like hours. She allowed the woman to melt into her, to pretend she was her husband if just for a brief time. 

Eventually, without turning over, Bae said sleepily, “Will you take me with you?”

Kuvira could not find it in her heart to say no and whispered into her nape: “Yes.”

Soon, Bae drifted off to sleep and after a long spell, Kuvira got up and tiptoed to collect her belongings. She made it to the door and without turning around, muttered “thank you.” 

And continued her lonesome journey.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The last part of the chapter was inspired by a scene in the movie Cold Mountain.


	19. Office Antics

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Warning: sex, explicitly.

Meanwhile in Republic City, the shades were drawn on the top floor of Future Industries tower, the boss’s office, to reveal a spectacular view of the shimmering gold and green spirit portal. Most of the city’s infrastructure was more or less rebuilt and integrated into nature and the spirit wilds at the epicenter of the city. And life went about business as usual.

If one were to peek through the window of the top floor, they would see the back of Asami Sato’s head in an expensive chair behind an even fancier desk in a large office resembling a high-rise cozy apartment. What they would not see were expressions of pleasure on Asami’s face from getting head by her girlfriend under the desk; they would not hear moaning and heavy breathing as her core and chest tightened and her toes curled inside of her boots before that ultimate release.

If they looked twice, they might notice the Avatar under the desk with her head shoved between Asami’s legs, living to pleasure her in inappropriate times and places, lapping at her wet clit and begging her to scream just a little too loudly, so her secretary and whoever was around could hear.

“Fuck, Korra,” Asami huffed, her fingernails digging into her chair. “That feels so fucking good.”

Korra loved it when Asami cursed or anytime she talked dirty; she was a lady in the street but could switch on her inner freak at two bats of a long eyelash. Frankly, it was hard to keep up with her girlfriend’s sex drive, but the Avatar always did her best, and here was no exception.

“I love the way you eat my pussy baby; yeah, like that,” Asami said, knowing this talk drove the Avatar wild.

At that, Korra bore down on Asami’s throbbing clit, sucking and lolling and sucking again, relishing the taste and smell and wetness of Ms. Sato, the sexiest, most beautiful woman in the world. 

Asami was about to announce she was coming when a loud ring interrupted her pleasure. Korra jumped, bumping her head on the underside of the desk. 

“Ow!” Korra said. 

Gathering herself and steadying her breaths, Asami picked up the phone, her other hand caressing poor clumsy Korra’s head gingerly under the desk causing the Avatar to purr. 

“A-Asami Sato speaking.” 

“Ms. Sato, Mr. Chai Son is on line one for you. Are you available to take his call?” Asami’s secretary said in a professional tone through the small speaker.

“Chai Son…” Asami said.

At that name, Korra made a stink face at Asami, shaking her head. Asami covered the speaker of the phone and mouthed to her girlfriend “I have to” before continuing on the receiver: “Go ahead. Send him through.”

Korra deflated under the table. What a way to kill the mood she thought. Although… she got an idea and started running her fingers up Asami’s legs, slowly, teasingly.

“Asami here,” the CEO husked into the phone, still in a haze from her near orgasm and being turned on by these gentle caresses.

“Well hello there,” Chai Son’s voice said. “Looking forward to our rendezvous in Ba Sing Se next month.” 

“For the first annual Grand – Ahh— Prix, yes!” Asami felt Korra’s mischievous finger teasing her sacrum and she wanted nothing more than to get back to what they were doing. “Future Industries is going to dominate!”

“So I’m here at the track, doing test runs… if you want to give me some competition ahead of the race.”

That did sound like something Asami wanted to do rather than sit at a desk all day. That is, unless she was getting amazing head from her girlfriend. 

“OK, I’m in. See you in an hour,” Asami said on the phone. 

The Avatar stopped her busy work at Asami’s last comment. 

‘See you in an hour?’ Korra mouthed.

Asami nodded her head with Chai Son on the other line; she even smiled here and there and chuckled at something he said. Their friendship, business partnership, any sort of ship had sent Korra silently reeling whenever the name came up, and she almost abandoned her efforts at pleasuring Asami in that moment.

But no, that wasn’t what Korra was about. The stubborn and competitive Avatar doubled down on Asami’s clit, fingers pinching and rubbing around it and tongue coming in with the assist. 

Asami desperately tried to keep it together as Chai Son talked, waiting for a moment when she could promptly end the call, but Korra had her at the brink. Finally she bellowed “I’m coming” and clasped her own hand over her mouth until she at last collected herself and added “see you in an hour” and hung up the phone.

That was torturous and Asami was slightly irritated because she knew Korra did it on purpose. She looked down to her Avatar who was smiling a crooked smile with big eyes that made her melt. She smiled back. 

“Where were we?” She cooed at Korra. “I’m feeling like a selfish only child right now.”

“I too am a spoiled only child,” Korra said, “so that means later on, I’ll need lots of attention.”

“Of course baby,” Asami said. “Oh, by the way, I’m heading over to the race track to do some test runs before the big race in Ba Sing Se.”

“I figured,” Korra said. As much as she didn’t like Chai Son, she knew Asami loved cars and racing, so she would never get in the way of that. 

“Do you want to come?”

“To the track today or to Ba Sing Se?”

“Both.” 

Korra realized it was a bit ridiculous having a conversation under the desk and crawled out to lean against it. She considered. Of course she wanted to go, but even after two years of officially being each other’s sweethearts, she was still sometimes insecure and tried not to be too clingy.

“Oh, I thought maybe you wouldn’t want any distractions.” Korra said, looking down. “I was just planning on touring all of the noodle huts in town with Bolin. And of course, other related Avatar duty stuff. All very important. Very official... and stuff.”

Asami laughed and grabbed Korra’s hand, playing with her fingers and palm delicately.

“I want you by my side. For support.”

Korra perked up. 

“Well when you say it like that, then duh! Of course, I want to go with you. I just wouldn’t want to be a spoil sport is all.”

Asami stood up with her pants still at her ankles and her pussy out and leaned into Korra, kissing her deeply, letting their lips linger there awhile before their tongues finally met, sending electricity through both of them. 

“Baby, you ain’t a spoil sport. And you’re not a kill joy,” Asami said. She brushed her nose against Korra’s nape delicately before whispering in her ear, “You’re my pleasure. My everything.”

Asami’s breath sent shivers down the Avatar’s spine. She was loved and it was well met, and so the Avatar wanted to prove it. But before Korra could make her way back down, Asami’s hand made its way to Korra’s pussy and rubbed it outside of her sweats. Korra closed her eyes and moaned. She grabbed Asami’s hand. 

“Please,” Korra said and sat Asami back down on her boss lady chair with the wheels and rolled her toward the desk. 

Korra climbed back in and knelt and went to town pleasing Asami again. 

Asami couldn’t get enough of Korra’s tongue on her pussy, and something about office head made the stakes riskier. Once again, Ms. Sato in her heaving and huffing was about to announce she was coming, when all of the sudden the double doors of her office burst open, causing both of the women to jolt. 

“Hey ya Kiddo!” Varrick exclaimed.

Varrick walked toward the desk and took a seat on the other side with his feet up. He was wearing his usual dapper Water Tribe attire, except with a pin on his lapel to signify his first gentleman status.

Asami’s face was flush and she was beginning to sweat a little at the temple from all the stimulation.

“Ooh sheesh, you don’t look so good,” Varrick said, then smiled. “You should do what Zhu Li and I do every night for 15 minutes before we go to bed – it’s a simple technique for overall health. All you gotta do is –”

“Varrick,” Asami interrupted. “Why are you here? You can't just barge into someone’s office without notice. Even the Avatar, my girlfriend, can’t just walk in without talking to somebody at the front desk first.”

Korra blushed under the desk knowing she would totally just walk in if she could and really needed to.

“Oh I talked to them, and your secretary out there – Janice – such a doll!” Varrick turned toward the open double doors and waved to the middle-aged woman with thick framed glasses sitting at the front desk in the hall. 

The secretary jumped up and moved to grab the doors. 

“Apologies, Ms. Sato,” Janice said, closing them.

“You see this?” Varrick said, pointing to a pin on his lapel. “It means I can go anywhere I want! Isn’t being rich and powerful awesome?”

“Umm…Why are you here again?” Asami was horrified and wanted nothing more than for Varrick to leave.

“Just checking in on my pal. Enjoying a leisurely day of inventing stuff,” Varrick said.

“Don’t you have a lab or something?”

“Silly, I’m inventing stuff as we’re sitting here. Oh boy, and I can’t wait to get some of it out of my head!”

Asami thought Varrick was off his rocker, but there was something strangely charming about the guy. 

“Well, I was just about to head out. We’re getting ready for the Grand Prix,” Asami said.

“Oh that’s right! Of course. You and Chai Son – what a team!” Varrick said. 

Korra seethed under the table. 

“But hey wait a sec. Janice over there said the Avatar was in here. Where is she?” Varrick added.

“Uhhh, Korra? Yes, that’s the Avatar. And my girlfriend. Well, she uh, she….” Asami looked out the window. “Left – flew. Out the window.” 

“Out the window?! Wow! I knew that woman could do some incredible things, but I didn’t realize she learned to fly. I thought that only Zaheer… wait a second –”

Varrick brought his hand to his chin and squinted his eyes at Asami as if figuring something out.

Asami, tapping her pen violently, thought she was caught with her pantaloons down. 

“You have… a secret door leading to secret passageways! And Korra left through it. Now that’s what I call cool,” Varrick said. 

Asami slapped her palm to her head, but she let Varrick carry on.

“So where is it?” Varrick got up and started poking around the office. 

He went to a book shelf where there where various books and ancient scrolls and started lifting them out of their slots to see if anything moved. Then he walked toward the window behind Asami’s desk. 

“STOP right there!” Asami exclaimed, just before Varrick was about to cross over to the back of her desk.

Varrick hovered his foot and took a giant step back.

“I mean, that’s crossing into my zone. My… uh… CEO-Zone. Which is for me and me only… as the CEO of Future Industries.”

Asami knew this was a pitiful lie but anything to get Varrick outta there.

“Oh! The ‘CEO-Zone’. Never heard of that, but hey we’ve all got our kinks,” Varrick said, winking.

Blood rushed straight to Asami’s head and she thought she was going to pop.

“OK VARRICK,” she blurted out, collecting herself again. “Well, it’s time you should be going. Bye!”

“Say no more! And I bid you adieu!” Varrick said, crossing over to the doors and bowing before finally departing.

Korrasami let out a heavy sigh. And Korra bent the metal locks on the door. 

Asami looked down at her love. 

“Well. What now?” Asami said.

“Don’t you have to go get ready for your thing?”

“I do.”

“OK then,” Korra said, trying her best not to sound disappointed.

“But,” Asami said, smiling. “We still have time. As long as I drive real fast to get us there.”

“Oh if that’s the case, then I’m going to have to be efficient,” Korra growled. 

“And who says you can’t touch me on the way?”

“As long as you says I can, that’s all that matters to me baby.”

“It’s settled,” Asami said as if finishing up a business transaction.

“Deal,” Korra said, playing into her game.

“Now, for the love of all the spirits in the spirit world, can you please finish me off?”

“Gladly.”

And Korra dove in once again. The doors were bolted shut, the metal had melded to the holes because Korra wasn’t careful. Asami would likely be annoyed by this but would get over it just as quickly.

The Avatar enjoyed herself eating out her girlfriend, her chest beaming with pride at the wetness of Asami’s pussy and the way she moved about in her chair, unable to sit still, as Korra’s tongue and fingers pounded her. 

Finally, Asami announced she was coming and tilted her head and arched her back and curled her toes until all of the tension within her chest and loins were released and sweet endorphins circulated throughout her body. 

Korra leaned over and hugged Asami from where she knelt and Asami reciprocated. 

It happened to be window washing day and a pimply-faced skinny kid hung high on a scaffold, blushing wildly at what he just witnessed. Korra opened her eyes and was shocked to see the kid. She could do nothing but stay there, wrapped in Asami’s embrace, trying to keep her from turning around.

So they sat there like that, Asami basking in the calm aftermath of orgasm in her lover’s arms, and Korra trying her best to preserve the moment for Asami.

Soon the kid moved on to the next floor down, and soon it was time for the women to head to the race track.


	20. Fast Track

The Sato mansion racetrack brought about looky-loos Bolin, Mako, and Tu. They had been working out and took a break to sit alongside Korra in the bleachers and watch Asami and Chai Son race. 

Korra kept her eyes on the track, watching Asami and Chai Son go head to head lap after lap, occasionally stopping in the pit for their team to switch out wheels and do touch ups. It was all in preparation for the big race in Ba Sing Se coming up in a few short weeks in which Chai Son would be representing Future Industries. 

Asami wouldn’t be racing in the main event, but she was damned if she wasn’t going to get her kicks ahead of time. 

The cars were designed for maximum speed and aesthetics, so not only were they fast, they were also pretty in apple red. Testing the cars out herself, Asami could gauge whether the alignment felt off or if it wasn’t getting the most out of its engine. That’s when it’d be back to the dyno room, where Korra would occasionally pop in and ogle her, all sweaty and covered in engine grease. Plus, it was fun to show that she could hang with the pros, and she loved showing off for her girlfriend.

Korra, meanwhile, was on the edge of her seat.

“Go baby, go! Kick that blubber butt’s butt!” 

“You know she can’t hear you, right?” Mako said. He was sitting on the other side of Bolin, who sat next to Korra. 

“Oh Mako, it’s the thought that counts! She’s projecting good juju!” Bolin slapped his brother’s back.

“We all know Mako is a grumpy old man inside. But we still love you!” Korra stuck her tongue out at her old flame, teasingly.

“Must be weird hearing your ex say she loves you, huh?” Tu nudged Mako’s back with his knee.

“Tu!” Mako said. “Quit it!”

He almost forgot his cousin was there. Tu had been sitting quietly behind them in the bleachers watching the show.

“Speaking of love… Bo, what’s going on with you and that airbending dame? You know, the one from the place not on the map?” Tu said.

“Sanyu? I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Bolin said.

Korra chimed in: “Tu has a point. I wondered the same thing last time I went to Air Temple Island to train with Tenzin.”

“What? We’re just pals. She’s just… my pal, who’s a girl, and silly, and beautiful, and pretty to smell. That’s all.” Bolin’s eyes glazed over but he caught himself. “Besides, I’m still getting over Opal.”

“Bro, it’s been almost a year. It’s time you moved on,” Mako said, placing a hand on Bolin’s shoulder.

“I know, I know. I just… don’t know. I guess I’m realizing slowly that we were never really right for each other. She was always sort of a mystery to me, and no matter how hard I tried, I just couldn’t connect with what she wanted.”

“There you go, Bro.”

Korra agreed. She didn’t mention Kuvira in the love equation, but at the very least, Opal did the right thing by ending it… even if no one knew where Kuvira was or if they would ever see her again.

Bolin continued, “I mean, I guess I just wanted to have a family and be a dad. I was in love with the idea of love – but it just wasn’t right.” He slumped down.

A small figure off in distance in the form of Asami’s assistant, Daisuke, made her way to the track. She was carrying a clipboard and walked with purpose. Korra noticed Mako’s face light up at the sight of her, his eyes following her.

“What about you, Mako? Any love prospects?” Korra said.

Mako blushed.

“Me? Uh, no. I guess I just haven’t found the right one yet.”

“How can you date anyone after Asami and Korra?” Tu said.

“Tu!” 

Despite his annoyance, Mako knew Tu was right for the most part. But there was something about Daisuke that piqued his interest. She was a few years older, but he liked that. And he especially liked how she more or less ignored him whenever he came around. Either way, it was just a crush. And he wasn’t looking for any relationships. One-night stands maybe, but anything more terrified him at this point in his life. Besides, he was a workaholic – obsessed with the beat.

One thing that didn’t sit well with him to this day was the pain of having to give up the bootlegger case he was hot to. His gut told him there was something more to it, and a clue was on the page six spread of Asami, Chai Son, and Varrick in the Republic City Herald Tribune from a year ago. He kept the paper in a file in his studio and his thoughts occasionally returned to the events of that night and how there was no name attached to the deed of the building that held the speakeasy.

The key in a lot of cases was to follow the money. But what happens when a paper trail abruptly disappears? 

The sounds of the cars speeding along the track drowned out his thoughts, and everybody glued their eyes to the track for the last lap.

Asami was inches behind Chai Son with a short way to go. Finally, she cut a sharp turn that took Chai Son by surprise, and that extra second for him to react gave her the edge. The black and white checkered flag billowed under the autumn sun as Asami sped past it, less than half a car length in front of Chai Son for the win.

Korra and the boys all jumped up and hooted and hollered, causing Daisuke to look up from the ground. 

Tu took off and the rest of Team Avatar descended the bleachers to meet up with Asami, who had removed her helmet and flipped her hair triumphantly.

Korra ran up and swept her girlfriend off her feet, spinning her around and kissing her in an overt display of affection in front of Chai Son.

Chai Son lumbered out of his car and took his cane to hobble toward the group. Mako took mental note of his gait as well as a shiny ring on his pinky, which rested atop the cane. The ring had some sort of peculiar symbol on it.

“A bit sore after a good race, but well worth it,” Chai Son said. “And great job, Asami. Defeated by a worthy opponent. If I were wearing a hat, I’d take it off.”

“I thank you,” Asami gloated, adding, “But you’re going to win next month. That’s a fact.”

“Yes, ma’am. I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

This banter made Korra want to puke, but she had zero words to say to Chai Son. That is, unless he provoked her. And even then, she needed to be on her best behavior after what happened between them months ago, which almost broke up Asami and Korra for a second time. 

Daisuke had pulled Asami to the side to talk urgent business, and Korra stood there silently sizing up Chai Son. He didn’t seem the least bit affected by her demeanor, but Bolin tried to break up tension.

“Hey, that’s a cool cane!” Bolin said, thinking of something friendly to say to Chai Son.

“Thanks, it’s hand crafted by the finest metalbenders in the Earth Kingdom.”

“Pfft, doubt that,” Korra said, rolling her eyes.

“What was that?” Chai Son replied.

“I mean, it’s nice and all, but it’s not made by the finest metalbenders. I know the finest metalbenders…” she turned her head and mumbled, “knew anyway.”

“Oh, you mean Kuvira, the dictator? The one you were palling around with last year before she escaped?”  
Korra stepped toward him with her fists curled. “Listen pal, I –”

Mako stopped her and shook his head, offering silent moral support for his friend.

“Nice ring too,” he added.

“This? It’s… a token,” Chai Son said.

Asami and Daisuke finished their discussion and joined the group.

“Daisuke just told me I still have a long day of boring conversations with people with money, so I’m going to head out,” Asami said.

“What time will you be home tonight?” Korra said. 

She had officially moved out of Air Temple Island and was living in Asami’s country estate for about a year now.

“I don’t know, sweetie… probably late.”

Korra knew this likely meant Asami would be too tired to ‘make it up to her tonight’ like she promised. It seemed she was so busy lately, Korra had to find creative ways to make time for them, hence visiting her office unannounced earlier that day for lunch.

Asami could read Korra’s facial expressions well. It’s not like she wanted to be this busy, especially when busy was the boring side of business. She caressed Korra’s arm, reassuringly.

“Hi Daisuke,” Mako blurted out. He rubbed the back of his neck, realizing his greeting was awkwardly timed.

Daisuke wore glasses atop a charmingly stern visage, her lithe figure silhouetted in business casual attire. 

“Hi Mako. Ms. Sato, we should probably get going,” she said, ushering her boss to her next destination.

“That’s my cue,” Asami said. She leaned in to kiss her Avatar and departed.

“And that’s mine,” Chai Son said, abruptly following suit.

This left Korra, Bolin, and Mako on the track.

“I swear, that’s guy’s a phony,” Korra said. “I don’t know what it is, but something’s off about him. For one, he’s after my girl.”

“Well, I wouldn’t worry too much about that. Even if they hooked up in the past. She only has eyes for you,” Bolin said.

“Yea,” Mako confirmed. “At least you’re not perpetually single and only interested in women who don’t care to give you the time of day.”

Korra and Bolin bumped elbows against Mako to acknowledge his swing and a miss with Daisuke.

“Here’s something that’ll make you feel better,” Bolin said. “I was so horny one night recently, I called Ginger – you know, the mover star – to see if she wanted to play, and she said I wasn’t her type. Then she said she was in some sort of sewing circle. And so I said ‘ooh’ can I join? And she said no to that too.”

“What’s this got to do with anything?” Mako said.

“She didn’t want to have sex; she didn’t want me to sew with her. Some girls just aren’t it. And there’s nothing you can do about it.”

“Bolin, you do know what a sewing circle is, right?” Korra said. 

“Sure! It’s a circle of people knitting and making clothes and stuff. That sounds like fun!” 

Korrasami knew all about sewing circles, but the Avatar left it at that.

“They sure are.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *A sewing circle here refers to women in the Golden Age of Hollywood thru the '50s or so who were lesbian, bi, or bi-curious and had secret relations with one another. Google it if it behooves you. It's fascinating.


	21. A Long, Long Way

Kuvira had a map spread out on the saloon table. She was sipping tea and deciding where to head next. If she kept up her current path, she would come upon town after town like the one she was in, like the one she just came from, until eventually running into the Si Wong Desert with its unending hilly dunes and sandbending marauders and giant sandworms. 

Another option would be to hop on a train and ride to the edge of something. Maybe she’d find her way to the coast and catch a ferry to a remote island. Maybe it was time to leave the Earth Territories all together. 

Inside, the saloon was dimly lit despite being broad daylight out. Even if some patrons did their fair share of afternoon drinking, they didn’t like to be reminded it was daytime. The place was also a dump, and there was nothing to see except more of the same. 

“Lost, Stranger?”

Kuvira heard a familiar voice and cringed, realizing who it was. She looked up from her focus on the map and saw the little lady she had left behind the town over.

“Bae, how lovely to see you,” Kuvira feigned. “Seriously, what brings you here?”

“Ain’t you forgetting something… or someone?”

It was then Kuvira noticed Bae had a rucksack slung over her back.

“I – I… listen, Bae. I know what I said, but the truth is I travel alone.”

“Well, I already came all this way. I’m not turning around now! And besides, I’ve been thinking of doing this a long time, you know… traveling, the big outdoors. I think my husband would have wanted it,” Bae said.

Kuvira was silent. 

“Awe, c’mon Pang! Waddya say? You and me – on the road? Also, I brought money.” Bae held up a sack of coinage. 

Kuvira was still silent, but now she was listening. 

“Well, stranger, you sure are a woman of few words,” Bae said.

“I talk a lot, actually. But only when there’s something to say,” Kuvira retorted.

Bae chuckled. “Well ain’t you a snarky little outlaw?” 

“At any rate, why me? Why not go off alone or find someone else to travel with?”

Bae crossed her arms and considered a moment. “I don’t know toots. I guess I feel safe with you.”

Kuvira, who had taken a sip of her tea, spat it out.

“Take that back. I beat three men to a pulp for sport the other day and enjoyed myself while I did it. How do you know I’m not some psycho killer? How do you know I’m not a wolfbat in koala sheep’s clothing?”

“Well for starters you didn’t take advantage of me when you could of. And we kept pretty good quiet company if say so myself. Besides, I wanna strangle just about everybody else I meet, except for some queer reason – you,” Bae said, resting one hand on her curvy hip.

Kuvira wanted to smile at the last bit but didn’t show her cards. It also didn’t go unnoticed by the lonesome wanderer that Bae had asked three times to travel with her. Kuvira wondered what would happen if Bae eventually found out her real identity. Perhaps it was a karma she was meant to endure. 

An old man sitting at a table in the middle of the room caught Kuvira’s attention. He had a Pai Sho board out and was stroking his long beard contemplatively. Kuvira recognized the man from the town Isaan. And come to think of it, she’d seen him before that somewhere. 

There was no one playing against the old man, and Kuvira got a little paranoid, looking about the room for spies, wondering whether she was followed by someone other than the woman standing expectantly next to her.

“Bae,” Kuvira said quietly, though trying to act natural. “Come sit next to me and nonchalantly look at that man at the table.”

Bae followed Kuvira’s order and leaned her elbow upon the table, awkwardly turning an eye toward the given direction. 

“Recognize him?” Kuvira said.

“I served him tea. He’s a nice old man. What’s the big deal? People take this route all the t—”

Without saying a word and following her instincts, Kuvira stood up and walked toward him.

She approached the other side of table and stood next to the empty chair, hovering over the feeble old man. He wore humble Earth Nation garb, perhaps a little dated, and a hat that formed to his little head. His beard, meanwhile was long and silver, and he stroked it incessantly as he examined the Pai Sho board, the other hand cradling a steaming cup of tea. He did not look up at Kuvira, who cast a shadow in the already dimly lit place over the board.

“You know old man, Pai Sho is usually a two-person game.”

“Usually,” the old man said in a voice weathered and withered with age.

“May I sit?” 

The old man motioned to the empty chair and Kuvira took a seat. 

Bae, meantime, had ordered a hot chocolate and shamelessly watched the exchange between Pang and the old man with her feet kicked up on the table. 

“Who are you?” Kuvira asked the man not so politely.

“I am me.”

‘I’ve seen you before.”

“Indeed you have. And I you.”

“OK, old man. Enough with the riddles. I said who. Are. You?” 

“Don’t you know it’s rude to ask of a stranger so much – their identity?” The old man smiled.

Kuvira was taken aback knowing the comment hit close to the breast. She squinted and nodded knowingly at the man, silently indicating she wouldn’t probe the matter further. 

“Something tells me you’re not the usual miserable old fool,” she said.

The old man finally looked up and Kuvira looked into his cloudy eyes, the deep-set leathery lines of old age burying his expression. 

“Then something is mistaken. I am all of those things – miserable, old, and a fool.”

“And perhaps wise while you’re at it.”

The old man curved a half smile again, though it seemed with great effort, and just as slowly, he grabbed a Pai Sho tile from his sleeve and handed it to Kuvira.

“Pai Sho is a game from time immemorial. Each culture has its variations, but the foundation is the same – the way you play, each move you make, reveals you as a person. What sort of person are you?” The old man said.

Kuvira took the tile and examined it – it was the white lotus tile. Next, she studied the board and the position of the other tiles. 

“Place this piece on the board and discover your destiny,” he beckoned.

In a hyper focused trance, Kuvira played out scenarios in her head of what would happen if she placed it here or there. Placing it here would make her a monster and a tyrant, crushing her opposition and anyone who dare question her. Placing it there meant living a docile existence, hardly disrupting the flow of life that the other tiles created in their harmonic placement. In between, there were infinite varieties, endless decisions, and yet she could only make one.

At last, the former Great Uniter saw where she would place the white lotus tile. It surprised her, this spot. Had she changed this much? Or was she slowly becoming more herself? Though she was alone, she was also lonesome. And what she desired was to belong somewhere. 

Entranced with the board, Kuvira lifted her hand slowly and moved the tile to her chosen spot.

Suddenly, her world flashed white and she found herself… elsewhere. But where? She looked around and saw mountains of salt peppered with blackened earth.

A healthy-sounding masculine voice called her name, her real name – Kuvira.

She turned around and saw the old man again. He was still old but now appeared hale and hearty, standing broad and straight-backed, long white beard billowing.

“Where are we?” Kuvira asked.

“We’re in the Pai Sho board.”

The world about her took on a checkered appearance of muted earthy tones with mountains of salt and iron infused dust. 

“I—I don’t want to be here.” 

“You played correctly, truly. Now heed your call,” the old man continued. He faded away into the pale light as if he were a pile of salt slowly blowing away in the wind.

“My call?” 

“YOUR CALL!” Another voice boomed, this time a woman’s that echoed in the canyons and made the little hairs on the back of Kuvira’s neck and arms stand on end. 

Towering before her, a seven-foot-tall behemoth of a Daofei warrior in red eye shadow – Avatar Kyoshi.

Kuvira fell to her knees. Here was her idol, the great Avatar of the Earth Nation who had made the tough decisions for the greater good, the fiercest warrior ever to live. 

Kyoshi faded in and out of corporeality, her voice at once ever-present yet far away. 

“Kuvira, you must…”

The Avatar flickered in and out with the dust.

“I must what? What?!” Kuvira called back desperately.

Kyoshi returned again and with fan in hand, pointed south. 

“Only justice will bring peace.” Kyoshi bellowed.

“What? I still don’t –”

The sky darkened and a large blood moon rose up high above the clouds.

“Go to the Southern Air Temple by the harvest moon, the Earth moon. Only then can I give you your orders.”

“My orders? What do you mean? But I don’t have my bending. I don’t have anything. Please. I’m only trying to –"

“Do as I say! You must…. help… restore balance… the Avatar. Now go!” 

Kyoshi’s voice was broken, interrupted by harsh winds inside the Pai Sho board. Her voice soon faded as did her body and she disappeared into nothing.

Kuvira's hands and feet went cold, the blood drained from her face, and then she too disappeared into nothing until she opened her eyes again and found herself sitting across the old man at the saloon. 

Bae was there too, waving her hand in front of Kuvira’s distant stare.

“Earth to Pang! Hello!?”

Kuvira, upon regaining consciousness noticed her annoying little companion’s frantic hand.

“Thank you Bae. I’m OK.” 

Kuvira turned to the man and bowed her head. The old man reciprocated and not another word was exchanged between them.

“You were out for a while!” Bae said once they were back at their table. “It was like a staring contest between the two of you for an hour. I was gettin’ worried I lost you for a second.”

“You wouldn’t believe what just happened,” Kuvira said, her heart racing as the shock wore off.

“You meditated into the Pai Sho board.”

“Yes!” Kuvira said. “Wait, how did you know?”

Bae laughed and said, “My folks. We lived here in the Earth Nation for generations, and it’s something my granddaddy said his great granddaddy use to see more of in his day – you know before the hundred year war. It’s a soft place; you can access the spirit world from there or something like that. But be careful because you can also get stuck there. I just ain’t seen that with my own eyes before. So neat!”

“You know things, don’t you?” Kuvira said.

“Not at all. Not nothin’; and it’s why I want to travel,” Bae replied, kicking Kuvira’s leg playfully under the table.

With the visit from Kyoshi, Kuvira couldn’t help but feel something move deeply inside of her. Her idol had appeared and commanded her to do something. How could she resist? She knew she wasn’t meant to wander the rest of her life without a place in the world. But she needed to walk and think and walk and walk because that was one way to repent.

“I need to get to the Southern Air Temple,” Kuvira said. “Any ideas?” 

“Does that mean yes?” Bae’s eyes lit up.

Kuvira guarded her delight at witnessing Bae’s candid enthusiasm. It was refreshing, like she was a child excited about all the new things but also as honest and biting. But then again, Bae had lost her great love, and that is a particular kind of tragedy to carry around. Not only that but it was Kuvira’s fault.

“Yes.” Kuvira replied. 

“Hooray,” Bae said, continuing, “Well, considerin’ how The Southern Air Temple is one of the most difficult places in the world to get to, no. I have zero suggestions. But ooh, hows about we go to the City!”

“Ba Sing Se?”

“Republic!” Bae replied. “The glitz. The glam. The fashion. The cars and mover stars. The Avatar!”

The authorities, Kuvira thought. She immediately shut down Bae’s idea.

“Never. But by all means, feel free to go there yourself. And if you’re going to travel with me, I’m going to set a few ground rules. Number one being never ask me any personal questions.”

“Like who it is you love, for instance?”

Kuvira immediately flushed at this. 

“I remember you told me you love someone. That’s why,” Bae added, looking down. 

And of course Kuvira had realized this ‘someone’ lived at The Southern Air Temple. Whether someone, named Opal, made Kuvira’s decision to heed Avatar Kyoshi’s call any easier is up for discussion. 

“Yes! Like those types of questions, among others.” Kuvira noticed she was tracing her finger along the ridges of the table and stopped herself. 

Bae put her hands up defensively and said “Okeeeeee, I won’t ask you no more.”

“And number two,” Kuvira continued, “is I’m going where I’m going, so at any point if I want to discontinue us going anywhere together, I will.” 

“OK bossy,” Bae teased.

“Deal. And if you excuse me, I’m going to run to the ladies’ room,” Kuvira said. 

She left Bae to ponder alone a moment while she walked to the outhouse outside the saloon. On the way she stopped at a bulletin board filled with wanted posters of outlaws for bounty hunter pickins. There was a time when her handsome face was on pretty much every bulletin board, but with time, posters of her disappeared and were replaced with ugly mugs of thugs. She had faded into a memory, and it seemed no one cared about her any more. She was no longer Wanted. 

Flyers were sprinkled alongside the wanted posters here and there, one for a traveling circus, another for… Kuvira paused at this one with a painting of a hot rod on a windy race track with flashy calligraphy, reading: 

‘First Annual Grand Prix. Ba Sing Se outer wall. Come one, come all to the Future!’ 

The date was bolded and the bottom read: ‘Sponsored by Future Industries’.

Kuvira considered a moment and suddenly had an idea. She needed to get to Ba Sing Se. It was a long shot but perhaps her only chance. She considered further while relieving herself before snatching the flyer on the way back. 

“We’re going here,” Kuvira said, placing the flyer on the table.

Bae picked it up and Kuvira once again studied the map. The harvest moon was in a month, and it would take nearly that to walk to Ba Sing Se. She couldn’t ride the train in because she lied to herself, she wasn’t completely forgotten. While Ba Sing Se was less risky than Republic City, she would never make it through mandatory checkpoints. There were also no Satomobiles for miles around, and good luck driving that around in the desert. So what was left?

“The most direct way there would be to cross Serpent’s Pass.” Kuvira included Bae in her selected thoughts.

“I rode an elephant camel here by the way,” Bae said, as if reading the other parts of Kuvira’s mind. “I mean, I ain’t dumb enough to walk.”

In that moment, Kuvira wanted to hug Bae, but of course she did not. Instead, Kuvira smiled and nudged Bae’s arm. Her companion. 

Kuvira would later realize that from the moment she yielded to Korra, she had accumulated more real friends than when she was taking over the Earth Kingdom and engaged to her non-biological brother and questioning everyone's loyalty. 

They packed up their things and prepared to hit the road. The elephant camel had her fill of water and food and rest and was ready for whatever, as long she was fed and well cared for.

Kuvira put her foot in the stirrup and swung her leg over the elephant camel and helped Bae up, who straddled their ride behind Kuvira.

“By the way,” Kuvira said. “I forgot to ask you, what was two?”

“Huh?” Bae answered Kuvira’s back. 

Kuvira looked over her shoulder. “The guy the other day. The thug. You said, ‘One, I ain’t your sweetheart’ after he called you sweetheart. But you never said what two was.”

“Oh,” Bae chuckled and leaned in to Kuvira’s back. “I don’t remember.”

“Oh well.” 

“And don’t worry,” Bae added.

“About what?”

“I can see you thinking about her, whoever she is. I’m not after you.”

Kuvira blushed but Bae couldn’t see. The outlaw faced the front and toward the open road and said, “Good.”

The elephant camel sauntered off. To Kuvira’s unmasked delight, Bae had brought a parasol which she held aloft for long stretches of time. 

To Kuvira’s annoyance, Bae came equipped with old Earth Kingdom songs which she sang on repeat.

“It’s a long long way to Ba Sing Se,” Bae sang loudly and without reservation.

A long way indeed, Kuvira thought. 

They headed north toward Serpent’s Pass, a narrow and dangerous pathway few travelers took but led directly to Ba Sing Se. 

At some point early on in the trip, they stopped at an ancient tree with its massively stretched limbs and sparse canopy. They whispered their deepest secrets into holes in the tree and covered them up with mud.

Both women left their secrets in the holes sealed by mud; they never spoke of it again. 

Instead, they marched off to the races.


	22. Happiness is a Warm Bun Bao

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which we flashback to shortly after Kuvira lost her bending.

10 months ago…

Kuvira was starving. And tired. And freezing. It was winter and she came upon a farming village looking for somewhere to warm her miserable bones. She had walked for days on end, enduring the frigid cold and a new heaviness that seemed to tug at every bit of her body. 

The reality of the loss of her bending would slip in and out of her consciousness a painful reminder of her decision. Regret on pivotal matters was perhaps her true weakness. And now she had to deal once more with the aching restlessness that hummed within her, and as a nonbender. 

What plagued her was the thought that perhaps all of this could have been avoided if she was a nonbender to begin with. Maybe her mother would have loved her more; maybe she would have been wanted -- and not in the way her face was plastered to posters all around the Earth Territories with bounty hunters itching to reap their generous reward.

The plains surrounding the village frosted over with wintry weather, the ponds frozen beneath the bridge leading into town. On the verge of collapsing, Kuvira huddled into a soup restaurant, the smell of dumplings and warmth of the hearth wafting into the air, painfully seducing her senses. 

“Hey you, what’ll be?” A wideset, matronly lady said.

“Uh, I- I don’t have any money. Please,” Kuvira said. “I’d like a warm cup of water.”

“Get out of here!” The lady retorted. “I can’t have any more of you vagabonds running amok. Don’t you know these are tough times? And what with everybody flocking to the cities. Now, scat!”

The lady chased Kuvira back out into the cold. The former Great Uniter was humiliated but too weak to fight back, too weak to care. She found a building with a slanted roof to lean against and ponder the end of her days. Maybe this was it – she would go to sleep and die in this very spot and then be reborn and have another shot at life. 

She closed her eyes and let the cold consume her. But her apathy soon-to-be despair was interrupted by survival instincts when she felt a big burly hand squeeze around her neck and lift her high in the air.

Kuvira bulged her teary eyes as she was being choked alive. A large man with bouldering muscles smiled at her and she swung her legs wildly, her hands gripping and scratching at his sausage fingers about her neck. 

“Well well well, what have we here,” the man snarled. He had a tattoo of a prickle snake on his face. “You look an awful lot like the lady on that poster right behind you: The Great Uniter. And I wouldn’t have to worry about meals for a long time if I bring her in – dead or alive.”  


Kuvira was desperately clinging to life, to whatever was left of her, but in a brief cowardly moment, she gave up and hung flaccid in his hand. So this was how it ends after all, she thought.

Just as she was losing consciousness, the bounty hunter dropped her and the ground smacked her. He towered over her as she gasped for air on her hands and knees.

“You look like her, but the Great Uniter was a powerful metalbender, and you’re just… nothing.” The bounty hunter howled a guttural laugh and kicked Kuvira in the gut.

Kuvira got the wind knocked out of her and fell lower to the ground. The man turned his back toward her, not even giving her the dignity of closure from their encounter. 

She dug her hang in the dirty snow, no longer caring how it froze her fingers to near numbness. Rage filled her entire being and she slowly reached for a dagger hidden in its hilt at her waist. How easy it would be to slip the blade into his jugular. His own fatal mistake would be the hubris of turning his back on someone who was ‘nothing.’

With the dagger concealed, she braced herself for her own savagery. But then it struck her – what would be the point of all of this if she stooped so low? What would be the point of taking her own bending? 

This large, immensely ugly man was a pest to say the least. But was a personal vendetta worth killing him? What was his true crime aside from being an asshole? Kuvira realized desperation bred monstrosity the same extreme way absolute power corrupted absolutely.

No, she would not kill this man. She would live to her last breath a human after all. 

Kuvira released her dagger and closed her eyes. She had overcome her pride, but what of her hunger. In that moment, the smell of something hot and sweet and savory emanated inches from her nose. She could feel the steam traveling toward her nostrils to once again seize her senses. 

She opened eyes and saw a bun bao inches in front and a little hand of a little girl holding it next to her. 

Sitting up, the former Great Uniter looked at the little peasant farm girl with giant trusting eyes. She could have been five or six or seven. Kuvira realized she didn’t spend time with kids and couldn’t tell their ages by the looks of them.

Next to the girl stood a youngish man with a top not and olive skin. He was smiling and looking from the little girl to Kuvira. 

“It’s OK,” he said. 

Kuvira was too desperate and hungry to care anymore and took a heaping bite into the bun bao; the sweet rice bun and barbecued meaty center danced in her mouth, and she felt at once a warmth surge through her. Sitting in silence as if on display at a zoo, she ate while the pair hung around and watched. 

“Daddy she’s pretty,” the little girl said, now clinging to her father’s leg.

At that comment, Kuvira suddenly became aware of her disheveled and gaunt appearance and made every effort to slow down. 

The man knelt down and smiled at Kuvira. 

“My daughter and I have a homestead not far from here. Come and enjoy a warm bed and meal for the night. It would be my honor. Actually, it’s our honor,” he said, looking at his daughter. “Right Ji?”

“Yes!” The little girl lisped excitedly, doing a twirl. 

The man chuckled. “You see? What’s your name? I’m Gui and this is my daughter Genji, or Ji for short.”

Kuvira studied the man then. Something about his demeanor carried a quiet dignity that she liked. 

“I’m… Pang.” 

“Come, Pang. Please. You’ll get hypothermia or pneumonia or both out here.”

Without saying another word, Kuvira used all of her strength to get up and follow them to their abode.

*

The homestead was a plot of farming land with several acreage of now fallow vegetable crops. Gui’s house was a simple Earth Kingdom abode from what felt to Kuvira like a time passed or at the very least decaying. The door opened to reveal the genkan and a long room divided into three by sliding white walls; the common room in the center featured a low set earthen table with floor cushions. 

Kuvira removed her shoes at the genkan and entered. Gui offered her to take a seat at the table so he could serve them tea and dinner, and the three of them sat that way, sipping jasmine tea and eating a rice and vegetable dish with a side of salted dried fish. 

They chatted politely of idle matters, Gui avoiding personal questions and Ji smiling and staring at Kuvira unabashedly as if awe struck by the presence of another being besides her father. 

The conversation turned deep, and Ji seemed to be half following along, half drifting off into the vast and wondrous imagination of a child’s mind.  
“Things have been scarce around here. Peasants and homesteaders are a dying lot, so sometimes folks forget a little what being human is all about. It’s alienating,” Gui said, before taking a bite of salted fish.

He was a finely formed man from what Kuvira could make out in the soft lighting of the andon. And from the way he spoke, she found herself admiring his articulation of thoughts.

“Used to be everyone had a place in the world no matter where, but now with the cities popping up left and right and setting a new pace of life, we’re seeing more hobo wanderers, a lost generation struggling to find somewhere to belong. Anyway, that’s how I see it,” Gui continued.

Kuvira figured Gui was referring to people like her, but she knew it to be a growing phenomenon alongside the squeezing out of small homesteaders like this in lieu of mass produce.

“Though when everyone had a place, the distribution of wealth and power was vastly unequal; what’s worse, many couldn’t rise above their circumstance; they were privy to the whims of a tyrant like the Earth Queen. And so we have a roundabout problem,” Kuvira added. 

“A wanderer versed in the nuances of politics who thinks philosophically. What a treat to have someone here to talk with about these things.”

It was then Kuvira noticed a shelf filled with scrolls toward the back of the room. Adorning the walls were beautifully passionate calligraphy paintings.

“Fancy yourself a scholar?” Kuvira was curious.

“Only for fun. We have a lot of time to spare around here, so I like to keep a sharp mind. I’m a farm boy born and raised, though. And now it’s just me and my little girl here.” He reached over to squeeze Ji’s ruddy cheeks. 

Kuvira’s heart ached for the type of fatherly love she sensed before her, but more than anything it endeared her to witness something so pure. But still, Kuvira had wondered where the mother was, and she debated internally whether she should ask. 

“Little Ji is nothing like me,” Gui said, scruffing his daughter’s hair. “Can’t sit still. Rather run around in the mud than read books. So I just tell her stories while she runs circles around me.”

The tomboyish girl grinned to reveal a gaping hole where her baby front tooth once dwelled. 

Kuvira smirked. “Sounds like a win-win.”

“Well,” Gui began. “It’s been tough, what with her mom passing a little over three years ago.”

Father and daughter fell silent and Kuvira awkwardly followed suit. 

“I’m sorry.” Kuvira didn’t know what else to say.

“No matter,” Gui said. He let out a heavy sigh.

Kuvira got up to collect the dishes and Gui stopped her. Realizing it was perhaps rude to impose in another’s home, she sat there waiting for the next opportunity to move toward bedtime to rest before her next adventure in purgatory. 

Gui motioned for his daughter to collect the dishes and she sat there pouting with her little arms crossed. 

“No,” Ji said.

Kuvira could sense the stubborn little girl digging her heels in with every patient reproach from her father. 

Finally, Gui said with conviction: “Genji, I need you to pick up the dishes and then it’s off to bed. Now.”

“I don’t want to!!!” Ji screamed and pounded her fists on the table. The table broke in half and the dishes crashed to the ground. 

Kuvira braced herself as the table split, looking back and forth from the damage to the little girl, trying her best not to react.

Gui’s face turned red out of embarrassment of this display in front of a guest, and he sent Ji to bed immediately. She went without much of a fight this time, as the guilt of what she did washed over her face.

Hours later, when Ji was fast asleep and Kuvira had found herself surveying the scrolls of the main room with Gui there to tell her about his favorites, the conversation inevitably turned back to Ji.

“Ji doesn’t remember her – her mom,” Gui said seemingly out of nowhere, though his thoughts were long held sway. “She doesn’t remember her own mother anymore. And anyway, I should be more considerate when I mention her in front my little girl.”

“If you want your little girl to forget her mother even more, then sure, never mention her,” Kuvira said.

“I just don’t know what to do with her. Sometimes I wonder if I’m good enough to –"

“She’s an earthbender.” Kuvira couldn’t help but smile. “A powerful one.”

“Yes, my little earthbending destroyer of things,” Gui replied. 

“She should be taught.” But Kuvira controlled herself from saying anything more as an imposition.

“I don’t know anything about earthbending, except for a couple of scrolls over there, and spirits know we can’t afford it. Her mother – she was something special. We used to tend the land together too.”

It was then Kuvira noticed this healthy-looking man appeared tired, darkened bags nestled under his pale green eyes.

“Again, I’m sorry for the loss of your wife,” Kuvira said sincerely.

“Died of consumption.” Gui sighed. He paused a moment and surveyed Kuvira once again as if sizing her up before continuing slowly: “She was my best friend. More like a sister to me, really. What I mean to say is – she was, we were, I mean, I’m not usually attracted to… your type. Women. But we grew up together and marriage was the safest option for us. And it was also the happiest after we had Ji… for a time anyway.”

Kuvira was touched by his decision to share something vulnerable. 

“I had a fiancé once,” Kuvira began, “but he’s really more like a brother to me.”

Though she and Bataar Jr. had loved each other, one type of love was romantic, the other brotherly; ultimately this dynamic had hurt one person more. 

Kuvira turned her thoughts to the child and her raw power and how it perhaps frightened both the girl and the people around her. She recalled her own temperamental childhood as a powerful bender without a rock in the form of unconditional support from her parents to fall back on. 

She had broken many a furniture piece, put holes in walls, and even accidentally almost killed her mother. They were right to send her somewhere where she could get better guidance, Kuvira realized. There are limits to any person, and she had been born in this lifetime with fewer than most. But it still hurt. 

“I’m very tired,” Kuvira said finally. “I don’t mean to be rude, would it be trouble if I went to bed now?”

“Oh, of course not! I’m so sorry to keep you up rambling like this,” Gui said.

“Not at all. I enjoyed our conversation,” Kuvira said and meant it.

He showed her to her sleeping quarters which had a tatami matt for a bed and she slid the paper-thin door closed and within minutes was fast asleep.

In the morning, she walked out to discover the table still broken but Gui and Ji still eating breakfast at it, holding a bowl of rice close to their faces and eating with chopsticks in a focused and rehearsed manner. She thought it cute how father and daughter mimicked each other’s movements as if in sort of a rhythm. 

Gui noticed Kuvira and offered her tea and breakfast, and she pulled up a cushion to join them at the broken table.

Kuvira did not want to overstay her welcome by continuing to be an unnecessary burden to this household. 

“Well, I better get going. Thank you for your hospitality,” Kuvira said, bowing.

“We need another hand around here, at least for the time being.”

“I’m not – what are you? I know nothing about farms. And besides, it’s not Spring.”

“I have a lot of paperwork and business affairs to attend to. And I’ll need help fixing and cleaning the equipment, tending to the farm animals, and preparing the land and seeds for Spring, weather permitting of course,” Gui continued. 

Kuvira seemingly denied him at first, unsure whether he was being polite.

“Didn’t you say money and resources are tight?”

“I can offer you the room you slept in last night, modest but hearty meals, friendly company, and a small stipend though not much. It’s a big job for one person. And it’s too cold in winter to work so hard. That way we’d have more time to invest in our minds – maybe my little Ji will go to college and not be a farmer after all. And I occasionally sell my calligraphy,” Gui said, motioning to the hanging fixtures. “We’re going to have options in this new age, you know, when time inevitably catches up to this little town.” 

Ji was nodding along, Kuvira had noticed, and she wondered what went on in that complex little mind. Looking back at Gui, she saw a bit of the little girl in his face. She did not understand why this man chose to flex his kindness so generously but was not in a position to turn him down. She needed somewhere to last out the winter and knew she would die if continuing on the way she had been. Even after a full night’s sleep, she still felt tired. And weak. And ordinary.

The offer was a blessing, and Kuvira needed a lesson in grace in accepting hospitality. She knew they didn’t really need her, but perhaps their loneliness had brought them together. The pleasure of company, especially in winter, provided a special kind of warmth.

Finally, Kuvira said “I’ll stay.”

*

Meanwhile on the outskirts of Republic City…  


Korra and Asami were freshly shacked up in Asami’s country home. It had been two months since they reunited and it seemed they made up for their month apart by hardly parting. It was a long time coming and they kept each other coming a long time. 

Asami lived to bury her head in Korra’s bush, eating her out slowly, methodically, for ages until orgasm crept up gradually but powerfully, consuming her entire being -- one long orgasm lasting minutes until the Avatar was so thusly fucked she became undone, a limp noodle with a sensitive, numb wreck of a pussy. Likewise, Asami loved to watch Korra’s face contort with pleasure as she pushed her tender buttons, loved to feel her Avatar’s hips buck at her mouth, pussy juices flowing in warm rivulets down her chin.

On the evening of the dinner party to celebrate Asami’s new business partnership and racing team, the two women only had time for a quick fuck, so Korra made her powerful fingers known to Asami’s pussy. The CEO had a lot of nerves to work out ahead of the event, so Korra rubbed her clit and then pounded her pussy until Asami needed a second shower. OK, all better. Now she could show up at this function calm and clearheaded like a boss. 

Korra had the effect of making Asami feel both like a soft pile of pudding and a strong confident woman. She had learned these things herself but it was nice to have a partner support and lift her up along the way.

Little did Asami know that night would bring about her second big fight with Korra. It happened like this:

Korra had been reluctant to attend the party. As they agreed, Korra did not have to involve herself in Asami’s business affairs as she did not particularly like talking about money all the damn time. But this was a special event, so Korra relented, especially when she heard Chai Son, whom the papers had called a “playboy racer” and incidentally the man who had fucked Asami, would be there. 

Who even was this guy anyway? Korra had never heard of him before recently. It was as if he appeared out of nowhere. 

The party in the private reception room at Kwong’s cuisine heralded the dynamic duo with a cheers and a toast to the future of fast cars with Asami the hot face and brains of the outfit and Chai Son the smoldering bad boy racer with a mysterious past, though it was beyond Korra what exactly was bad about him. She needed to size him up herself.

Business folks with drinks and cigars encircled Asami and Korra, barraging them with fake flattery and making Korra dizzy with secondhand smoke. Might as well start drinking, Korra thought.

She excused herself and thankfully found tolerable company in the form of Daisuke who stood at the bar eating hors d’oeuvres. Korra joined and cheers’d a couple of rounds of champagne until out of nowhere she found herself spilling some verbal tea. 

“Look at em. At him. He’s a brute I tell ya. A brute,” Korra mumbled into her drink.

“I assume you mean Mr. Chai Son and his Business partnership with Ms. Sato, your girlfriend,” Daisuke said, pausing before biting into her food. 

Korra had to admit the little servings of food were cute and tasty.

“My Love. My souulllll mate,” Korra swooned before leaning toward Daisuke and with hot boozy breath adding, “Can I uh, taste that?” 

Before Daisuke could answer, Korra swiped the food from her plate and in the next moment it was halfway down Korra’s throat. She shrugged and said thank you with a full mouth before continuing with the chewing and swallowing. 

“Ugh, his stupid broad shoulders and symmetrical face give me the heebie jeebies. Pfft, I can take him,” Korra said, before noticing Chai Son place his hand on the small of Asami’s back while talking to investors.

In the next moment, she found herself across the room and, having swept Asami away, one-inch stiff armed Chai Son across the room. He went flying and crashed into a table.

The entire room stopped and gaped at the bawdy Water Tribe girl running amok of everything once again.

As Chai Son gathered himself and reached for his cane, he thought he saw Korra’s eyes flash red as she stared at him menacingly. And Korra thought she saw a slight smirk on the corner of Chai Son’s mouth as if beckoning her to further give into her own brutish impulses.

Korra calmed herself and tried her best to sober up. What helped was turning around and seeing Asami fumingly upset with Korra, and despite her face not betraying her emotions, Korra knew her lover’s eyes best of all, which in this moment seethed at her. 

Korrasami had their second major fight that evening resulting in Korra sleeping in the guest room for several days. They had nearly called it quits a second time, and Korra felt something dark stir inside of her and needed to cool it to process what if anything was truly happening to her. 

Fortunately for the Avatar, Asami could not stay mad at Korra, especially considering how cute she looked from afar, goofy and definitely not sober – that is, until she had flung Asami’s business partner across the room in a dramatic display of bravado. 

At any rate, suffice it to say the makeup sex was amazing.

*

Kuvira was up every cold morning in the predawn hours training, beginning again. No longer a bender, he had to relearn how to navigate the nuances of her body. Though she was a dancer and still relatively fit, she realized her bending was a crutch, and to make up for it, she would have to train hard to fill in the gaps. 

She started in the mornings with horse stance, followed by balancing postures, followed by seated meditation. Afterward she worked around the homestead, doing this odd chore or that. It seemed she was always finding something to do or waiting around for Gui to ask her to do something. 

Eventually, she took it upon herself to learn how to fix things, and so she located broken or squeaky objects and patched them up or de-squeaked them. And during breaks and for hours here and there a day, she would practice throwing her daggers and needles, practice the forms for chi blocking, training her muscles to match the precision of her mind. 

One bitingly cold morning, Kuvira was doing horse stance in the barnyard with her eyes closed; her hot breath emanated from her nostrils creating steam. 

“What you doing?” A little voice called from near the entrance of the door. 

Kuvira opened her eyes to see Ji standing there, playing with the latch at the door. 

“I’m doing horse stance,” Kuvira answered without getting up.

“What’s horse stance?”

“It’s what I’m doing,” Kuvira husked.

“And what you doing?” 

“Horse stance!” Kuvira steadied her voice. “If you’re so curious, come over here and find out.”

Ji approached and copied Kuvira’s movements, spreading her legs a little more than hip width, then squatting with balled fists at her side.

“Like this?” Ji asked.

“Wider!” Kuvira retorted.

The little girl obeyed and squatted lower. After a minute, she stood back up and said “Ouch this hurts!”

“It’s not as easy as it looks kid.” Kuvira had not moved her stance during this whole exchange. 

Ji, witnessing Kuvira’s steadfastness, repositioned herself and squatted once more. After a while, her face began to contort and Kuvira could tell she was trying to hold on with all her might. The little girl was competitive not only with Kuvira but herself, and Kuvira liked this about the child.

“Don’t hold your breath; remember to breathe,” Kuvira said. “Otherwise your muscles will tense up and you’ll be sorry.”

Ji started taking deep exaggerated breaths and in the process lost track of her form. 

“Activate your core!” Kuvira said. “But keep breathing!” 

“How do I do that?” Ji attempted this seemingly contradictory activity until she eventually caved in and fell to the ground.

“It’s OK. Great job Kiddo.” Kuvira meant it.

“How long do you do that every morning?” 

“Oh, about two hours give or take. One hour if I don’t have time,” Kuvira said.

“Two hours!?” The little girl said incredulously, adding. “How long is two hours again?”

Kuvira laughed at the little girl’s innocence of time. The rooster cawed and soon the sun was rising bringing forth a new day.

“But for you, not so long; you have to build up to it.”

“And then I get strong and can move like you?”

Kuvira chuckled. “For the most part, yes.” 

The former Great Uniter, metalbending master, and dancer stopped her horse stance to demonstrate.

“Because of horse stance, I have a strong core that allows me to root down to the earth. More importantly, it burns away restlessness. And it gives me strong legs to jump very high, like this –” 

Kuvira jumped and flipped around the barn, soaring high and gracefully. 

“And hand-to-hand combat and dancing has taught me this –”

She shuffled her feet like a dancing boxer with her arms up and guarding her sides while she shadow-boxed.

“But lately, I’ve been practicing this –”

Then she walked over to her lasso-whip creation, which rested on a bale of hay. She got the idea to place a metal-plated tip on the end of the rope to get it to snap and crack and had practiced going back and forth between the two, spinning the rope in a circle above her head, then whipping the other side. One steady thing about Kuvira despite it all was she liked to show off, no matter how small – or petite – the audience.

“Wow! So cool!” Ji exclaimed.

“Where’s your father, by the way?”

“He’s sleeping.” 

“Here, actually,” Gui said from the door. 

Neither of them knew how long he had been watching but he was smiling all the same. Ji ran over to her father and hugged him. 

“Your daughter. She’s an earthbender. So… let me train her,” Kuvira said much more forward this time.

Gui laughed. “But you’re a nonbender. How are you going to train her?”

Kuvira looked down at the floor, painfully aware of this fact.

“I was a bender – a master. Once. But I lost my bending.”

Gui looked at Kuvira again and suddenly thought she looked familiar.

“Oh, I’m sorry. Also, if you’re a master, then you would know to teach only those who want to be taught, and my little girl, she –”

“I wanna learn earthbending from Miss Pang, Daddy,” Ji said with finality. 

Gui nodded his head at Ji and bowed at Kuvira to signify that he would allow it. It seemed then Kuvira had more purpose here and no longer felt as if she wasted anyone’s time or resources.

Apparently, it was not the first time Gui had underestimated or misread his daughter. As Kuvira would later learn, Ji also remembered much of her mother and would occasionally bring her up. 

Ji was a wild, feral child much like Kuvira, so a combination of the basics and dancing would suit her early training. She would squeeze in as much foundational work as she could during the winter months before ultimately moving on. 

They spent the beginnings of their training sessions doing horse stance, the little girl asking “How long do I have to do this?”

“Didn’t you already ask me this question?” Kuvira responded.

“No, I mean how looong? Until I’m old?”

“It’s ongoing. You’ll only find more impressive ways to hold poses, and one day you’ll come to enjoy it and find it calms you enough to think clearly.”

“Oh, OK.” Ji said.

They held their positions awhile longer, Kuvira occasionally saying “Wider!” 

After some conditioning Ji was ready to practice some of the basic forms. Kuvira reminded the little earthbender that in order to fly one must first be grounded. Otherwise, the sky might as well be the sea. 

They practiced the basic forms like dances, moving in tandem with one another. Gui occasionally watched his daughter and was moved by how she resembled her mother. 

Ji began bending earth with her movements, and soon she was stopping and splitting boulders. And by the time Spring rolled around, she was tilling the land and not for any reason except to get her hands and feet dirty.

That little girl is a powerful bender. One day she will be a master, Kuvira thought. 

Kuvira learned another thing about herself. The matter of what is ordinary had plagued her since she took her own bending. She realized her own inward prejudice, even with the exception of Opal and some of the people she knew. Funny how life is messy and full of contradiction. 

But Kuvira was a prodigy who was also dead focused and obsessively hard working. Whether or not she could bend, she would never be ordinary. This realization that came only at the loss of her bending made her feel more whole.

Peculiarly, the home in which she lived that winter slowly emptied itself of belongings. One by one scrolls and some works of calligraphy were packaged and shipped off. The furniture and fixtures that made the house a home disappeared like ‘boop’ until one early spring day there was nothing left of the home at all, except a rucksack and containers holding Gui’s calligraphy.

Gui had a rucksack slung over his back and was holding his little girl’s hand. Kuvira found she also wore her bag and cloak and recently acquired wide-brimmed hat. They were all standing at the threshold of the abode. It was goodbye.

“Well, this is it. We’ve sold the property and are headed to Republic City. My little girl might have a chance to get into college there, and I can sell my calligraphy. Even in this new world, there are always spaces for artists,” Gui said.

It was abrupt but Kuvira was no fool. She saw this coming a mile away and so was ready for it. At the very least she was grateful for shelter and food and for the privilege to return to a part of herself. 

“Thank you, for everything,” Kuvira said, shaking his hand.

“You’re welcome Pang. Or should I say Kuvira?” Gui smiled.

Kuvira recoiled but could only yield. 

“How did you know? When?”

“Shortly after you said you were an ex-earthbender. The way you talked, how much you knew about politics, not to mention you’re dead-on for the wanted poster – short hair and all,” Gui said.

“Well what should we do about this?”

“Do what you want. You’re my friend, and your secret’s safe with me.”

Kuvira nodded though inside she beamed. 

“One more thing. I saved this for you.” Gui pulled out a scroll and handed it to Kuvira. “Might be something you find interesting. If not, pawn it.”

Kuvira opened the scroll. It was of seemingly ancient material though still elastic and intact. It read ‘Golden Heart Technique.’

“This is an earthbending scroll, but I’m not an earthbender,” Kuvira protested.

“Take it, or else I’ll pawn it myself,” Gui said.

She accepted and steadied herself to say goodbye to Ji, the feral little earthbender. Kuvira bent down.

“Say, kid. You stay out of trouble in Republic City. Don’t be a pain in your dad’s rear, OK?”

Ji stood there silently pouting until finally caving in and hugging Kuvira. The former Great Uniter was awkward with the hugs but relented anyways with one hand then the other. 

And with that the two parties parted ways indefinitely, one a solo wanderer, the other a father-daughter duo trying to find their place in the new world. 

Kuvira walked for days, then weeks, then months in between hopping on trains and contemplating the natural splendor of the former Earth Kingdom with its vast and varied landscapes. 

It pained her to read the Golden Heart Technique scroll but she couldn’t help but study it deeply, memorizing and executing the forms in her mind’s eye.

Mostly, Kuvira walked. It was custom to pay penance by walking great distances over hill and dale and vast terrain. Supposedly, it burned karma, but really it just gave Kuvira more time to think until she was struck with those occasional blissful moments when there was no thought at all, just the present.

***


	23. Three's Company (Getting off to the Races)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: eventual explicit three-way sex; strap-on sex
> 
> This is a longer chapter. Hope you enjoy!

The Sunday of the first annual Ba Sing Se Grand Prix brought racers from teams representing the Earth Territories, Fire Nation, and even the Water Tribes. It was a sunny day, though windy, with no sign of rain. 

Residents of the Earth Nation’s most impenetrable city gathered to the agrarian zone between the outer and inner walls to watch the two-day event. Everyone wanted see whether the famous Satomobile, the original motored vehicle, was also the best. Or had it been surpassed by competition?

On Saturday, Team Future Industries led by Chai Son qualified for the Sunday race simply by lapping and meeting the minimum speed and weight and engine size.

Chai Son and the rest of the racers were taking warm-up laps, which meant the race was starting within thirty minutes. The goal was 55 laps around closed-off, country roads in the old fortress of a city.

Korrasami enjoyed relative privacy from their box seat as they watched the race. Asami wanted to be down there in the pit with the boys, but alas, she would have to be satisfied cheering on her business partner from afar with her love, Avatar Korra, by her side.

Korra, meantime, was beguiled by any sporting event and this was no exception. She had been sizing up all the cars and secretly rooted for the underdog, a Southern Water Tribe guy with a shimmery blue like the ocean-painted hotrod. Though Asami’s car, a glossy red beauty, may have been the prettiest, it was driven by someone who Korra revolted, and she wanted him to lose – and worse. Thoughts like these were what Korra had feared about herself, this festering hatred which nursed a budding darkness within her. 

“Can you believe Chai Son placed third in qualifying?” Asami said with her eyes fastened to the track as the cars sped around the track, still warming up. 

Korra didn’t know whether Asami meant it as a good or bad thing, but by the looks of Asami’s twitching knee, she exuded anything but calm. Korra placed her hand on Asami’s knee for reassurance, and Asami melted at Korra’s touch, bringing her hand to meet Korra’s.

“I can’t believe you arranged all this,” Korra began. “The entire event is just – spectacular. I had no idea so many different types of cars existed; like they were invented suddenly because they were allowed to be and because of you. Honestly, every day I think, ‘My girlfriend is the coolest person I know.’” 

Asami blushed and squeezed Korra’s hand. She sighed then. 

“I wish I were down there. I just wanna race and work on cars all day, you know? But I have to be the face of Future Industries. I have to look good all the time and talk to men who want to sleep with me or take my money or both. And I have to present an image to the public and be a good example for the folks that look up to me. It’s exhausting.”

Korra didn’t expect this sudden release, but she loved anytime her girlfriend showed a bit of her vulnerable side. It was hard for Asami, being raised the way she was and going through what she did, so Korra hardly pushed, just waited and listened and loved. 

“Knowing what it’s like to have major responsibility to others -- it can be tiring huh? Downright heavy at times, and you can’t please everyone,” Korra commiserated, adding, “But at least you’re cool while you do it. You’re so cool.” 

“That’s another thing – being cool all the time – what other choice do I have? Besides, you think I’m cool,” Asami teased. She smiled and pinched Korra’s chin. “You’re the Avatar.”

“And you’ve gotta deal with it,” Korra smirked, lifting one eyebrow playfully. 

“Yes, I deal with it every day. I love dealing with it, and I’ll keep dealing with it for a long, long time.”

“Is that a deal?”

“It’s a promise.” 

Asami leaned into Korra and hugged her then, and they watched the rest of the warm-up with Korra gently stroking the back of her arm and playing with her soft black hair. 

Korra wanted to ask Asami what she meant by a long, long time but decided instead to enjoy the moment because in the end all a long time amounted to was a collection of moments. 

*

The hard part was over. Kuvira and Bae had made it across Serpent’s Pass and managed to finagle their way into the outer wall of Ba Sing Se by flirting with a guard and getting a seat on the monorail. 

Kuvira sniffed out from the guards the kind of desperate fellow that would fold at any provocation or attention from an attractive woman, not to mention two. And Bae had been a marvelous wing woman in the operation. It wasn’t something either was ashamed of, turning on their feminine wiles to get what they wanted – and Kuvira always got what she wanted – it was all a manner of when to turn on which kind of charm, as Kuvira was also well-versed in the art of charisma, a useful tool during wartime. If more men possessed such the inherent powers of women, they’d likewise feel no shame flexing it.

Through their travails across the Earth Territories these past few weeks, Kuvira had come to consider Bae a bosom buddy. 

“You know Pang, I’ve been travelin’ with you a few weeks now, and I still don’t see how this race is gonna get us to the Southern Air Temple,” Bae complained as they approached the race and blended in with thousands of rowdy fans.

“It’s a long shot, but I’m thinking we can hitch a ride from someone I know,” Kuvira said. 

“I’m curious who this mystery person is who can happen to give you a lift to the Southern Air Temple, place few in this world have ever been. And why the Southern Air Temple again?” 

“One – I told you not to ask me personal questions, and two – you should have asked before traveling along the treacherous and life-threatening Serpent’s Pass with me.”

“That doesn’t even make sense! But I bet it’s about a girl. Always is,” Bae half-jested. “And I’m soooo curious to see who this mystery love of Pang’s life is.”

Kuvira, though a complicated woman, was perhaps at her core as simple as the rest of us humans. She punched Bae’s arm playfully before remembering her mission; she was the type to not lose focus until she got what she wanted. 

“C’mon, I think we can get in over here and blend in,” Kuvira changed the subject. “From what I overheard, there’s a bunch of open seats. We just have to look like we belong.”

They slipped in with a bunch of rowdy sports fans carrying foam fingers and wearing beer hats.

“Quick, act natural!” Kuvira whispered not so subtly to Bae. 

Bae grabbed someone’s beer hat which rested on an empty seat and put it on. They tried their best to act like generic sports fans, yelling Woo and Yeeha and guzzling the warm beers down before eventually slinking off to find an unoccupied seat. 

“Woohoooo…. sports!” Bae said.

“Yea, um, racing, so fun and um, sports!” Kuvira added.

They found a seat and gave up the charade, Kuvira scoping out the audience for signs of – them. A few minutes went by and seemingly out of nowhere, Kuvira folded her arms and attempted to say as nonchalantly as possible: “It’s not just about a girl. There’s another reason too -- a main reason, but there also happens to be a girl, so… I mean I can’t help how I feel! A person can’t help falling in love, even if it is an annoying distraction!”

Kuvira found herself flustered, her heart was thudding out of her chest, her head hot. 

Taken aback by the sudden candor, Bae patted Kuvira’s shoulder. “There, there. See? It’s good to talk about these things. Anyone tries too hard to bottle up their emotions’ll end up likely to explode. That’s why I don’t mind talking about my husband. Helps it feel like he’s still with me.”

Kuvira had noticed Bae’s penchant for mentioning her husband and indeed felt as if she missed him too, though she did not remember him, only similar people she mowed down in her pursuit to create a United Earth Empire.

“Her name’s Opal,” Kuvira continued finally after regaining her composure. “Stick with me, you’ll see her.”

“What’s she like?”

“She’s pretty, that’s for sure. But smart – exceptionally smart. Perhaps the sharpest person I know who doesn’t like to brag or show off but can tear you down in a battle of wits because she knows the advantage of being underestimated. And she’ll always tell you the truth, even if it makes you cry,” Kuvira said. She smiled and shivered at the thought. “Ah, but we need to focus!” 

Bae shrugged and shook her head and smiled. Kuvira, meantime, spotted Korrasami over yonder. She needed to get to them before the end of the race and subsequent chaos ensued. This may be her only chance. 

“I see my friends. You wait here. I’ll come back and get you – I promise,” Kuvira said before taking off.

“I’m curious to see who these friends are,” Bae said. But Kuvira was already gone.

*

The racers were on the last handful of laps, and Chai Son was a hair behind the Southern Water Tribe racer and a hair in front of the Fire Nation Firerarri. They were neck and neck and neck with the other cars trailing behind. Asami was biting her long nails to the quick, saying “C’mon Chai Son, you son of a bitch; you can do it,” and Korra was trying her best not to root for the Southern Water Tribe guy to pull ahead and let Chai Son eat his dust. 

While Korra pondered this double-bind she found herself in – to root for her girl or for her tribe (and really against Chai Son), she was struck by a crumpled-up newspaper used to hold salted nuts. Curious, she leaned over and picked up the paper, thinking there may be a secret note there but when she opened it, there was nothing but greasy headlines. She shrugged and kept watching the race.

"Psst! Hey!" Avatar," a familiar voice husked. Korra turned around and another wad of paper smacked her in the face.

Asami had also heard the call and turned around to see Kuvira huddled by their box. Asami was stunned and Korra almost fell over at the sight. It couldn’t be. But it was, and how different she looked, not just because she was tan and weathered by the sun, no it was something else, but neither Korra nor Asami could quite place it yet.

“I’m coming in!” Kuvira said, waddling in and kneeling next to them.

Korra was still lost for words. 

“Everyone was worried about you, you know,” Asami said finally. “Korra was – I mean. What are you doing here?”

“I’m. Well, I need your help,” Kuvira said. “I need a favor.”

“You’re wanted. Everywhere,” was all Korra could finally muster before bending down and scooping Kuvira up and squeezing the air out of her in a tight embrace. 

Kuvira smiled and reciprocated, though quickly became aware there could be people watching them, especially now considering she was in the company of people who were often watched. 

Korra put Kuvira down and shook her head in disbelief. “After all this time. Wow. Um, also, is it true?”

“Is what true?” Kuvira said. 

“Your bending. Is it gone?”

“Korra, don’t be rude baby,” Asami said. “She probably doesn’t want to talk about it right here, right now.”

“It’s gone. Long gone,” Kuvira replied gruffly. But Asami was also right – Kuvira didn’t care to elaborate at the moment. 

From the box, she had a better vantage point of the cheap seats and caught a glimpse of Bae, a tiny spec of a plump little human, who appeared to have put the beer hat back on.

The race was winding down, and they stopped all conversation to tune in for the last bit. The three racers were still fighting over who would take first prize when all of the sudden, in the last lap, the Satomobile’s engine overheated and Chai Son had no choice but to spin out, forfeiting the race.

Furious, Asami stood up and leaned over the banister. She wanted to shout at the top of her lungs; they were so close, and now they were out. She knew they should have put everything into the car’s cooling system, but of course she had let herself be influenced against her better judgment. 

The Firerarri finished first followed closely by the Southern Water Tribe guy, and the rest of the cars followed by a long shot.

It was over, and Chai Son had lost. Future Industries had lost. Asami collapsed in her chair and took a minute to accept reality before preparing for her next adventure – dealing with the aftermath and wading through the press. 

As much as Korra wanted to support her girlfriend, she also knew to give her space in times like these, opting to hover in the background and be a strong set of arms ready to hug Asami or whisk her away if need be. 

They agreed to regroup later on after all the hubbub at Asami’s hotel suite. 

Before they parted, Korra asked: “Do you have somewhere to stay?”

“We just got into town. We’re still looking around,” Kuvira replied.

“We?” Korra said.

“Yes, my traveling companion – and don’t get any ideas. She’s just a friend, and that’s it.”

Korra smirked. “Sure, by the way, you know Opal and Bo –”

“Also, be sure to call me Pang." Kuvira cut Korra off before she could finish. 

The Avatar got the hint and nodded. “OK, Pang.”

“We’ll arrange a room for you and your traveling companion at the same inn we’re staying – under the name Pang,” Asami said finally, handing Kuvira a card with the address. “Now, if you excuse me, I have some business.”

And she was off. Korra shrugged, pat Kuvira on the back and said, “See ya later Pang,” before departing.

Back in the cheap seats, Kuvira saw Bae stretched out with beer hat tilting jauntily about her head and a few empty cans piled around her. 

“Pang! Just in time. They’re about to announce the winnerssss,” Bae slurred.

“I think we should head out and try to beat the crowd and – wait – are you drunk?” Kuvira looked into Bae’s eyes, which were bloodshot.

“Well, whaddya expect? You been gone a long time, leavin’ a girl all by her lonesome. Don’t you know drinking alone ain’t so pretty for a girl?” Bae started laughing at seemingly an inside joke with herself. She squeezed Kuvira’s chin: “But the girls in the city, they look so prettayyyy!”

“Bae, I don’t think it’s safe here. We should get outta here now. I think I recognize a couple of guards from –”

“You outlaaaaaw. You recognize a coupla guards,” Bae sat up then. “From what? Ooh, military gal, I knew it!” She booped Kuvira’s nose and laughed and fell back again.

“Uh, that’s right,” Kuvira conceded. “And thus, it’s time for us to skedaddle. Now! Please.”

“OK, bossy pantaloons. So, where we headed?”

“My friends I was telling you about put us up for the night. I still need to arrange a ride. In the meantime, we can lay low at the inn, maybe pick up some food at a crowded market on the way.”

“You do know I’m not the one who’s on the lam, right?”

“Well no one asked you to come be a vagabond with me!” Kuvira retorted. She looked at her friend and laughed at the silliness. “It’s up to you. You could just sit here with that beer hat for all I care.”

Bae realized she was still wearing the hat and took it off promptly and stuck her tongue out at Kuvira. 

“All right then Ms. Bossy, onward Ho.” She keeled over laughing. 

Kuvira rolled her eyes. She wasn’t about to argue with or reprimand her traveling companion. They left, then, as the winners were being announced at the podium. Chai Son had made the fastest lap, despite not placing at all, though none of that mattered to Kuvira because she didn’t care.

*

The inn was a chic little abode in a neighborhood of the lower ring that had been gentrified in the years after the Earth Queen was assassinated.

As such, hip little coffee shops and wine bars and art galleries opened up in the area, and kids wearing black and muted green colors read their beat poetry at open mics, chain smoking rolled tobacco cigarettes and listening to jazz music and smoking reefer and drinking fire whiskey.

Kuvira and Bae took a tuk tuk to their destination, and had managed to blend in with the crowd. It was a risk coming to Ba Sing Se, but what in life is worth anything without risk?

Bae had been leaning over the side of the tuk tuk during the ride. It seemed she was sea sick, and Kuvira had to hold her companion’s wavy hair back and keep the extremely nosy driver busy with fresh lies.

“Uh, yes, I’m Pang, and this is my uh, sister, Bae. We’re sisters, you see. And we’re visiting our – “

“Sister,” Bae said in between groans, before once again hanging her head out the side of the cab.

“Yes, our other sister, uh, Ping. She’s very happy now that the lower ring isn’t such a bad place to live.”

“What she do? Your sister,” The driver asked. “She married?”

“Yes. Happily. And she… sells… uh, paper. Look, we’re not here to talk about our personal lives. We’re here to hitch a ride to the address on the card. Now, please, my companion and I are very tired; and one of us is obviously sick. So if you don’t mind,” Kuvira said. 

“Paper eh? That’s cool. I like paper,” the tuk tuk driver drawled. “I like to fold origami. I fold little badger fwoggies.”

“Neat.”

They finally pulled up to the inn, and Kuvira hopped out swiftly. She came around and helped Bae, who paid the tuk tuk driver.

“And here’s a little extra paper, in case you want to, you know, buy some paper,” Bae added, thanking him.

The driver bowed and was off.

“You know that the paper store doesn’t exist, right? I made it up,” Kuvira said as they hobbled into the lobby. 

“Duh, but he don’t know that. He’ll find a paper store in the city and wonder if our sister owns it, maybe buy some. That’s all.” 

And suddenly, Bae was back on her feet again.

The place was a swanky boutique of an inn that only travelers with extra dough to spend could afford.

Kuvira did her best to gather herself and present an air of class, though they had been weary and dirty and likely smelly from travel.

“Excuse me, may I help you?” the concierge said. 

Kuvira could feel the concierge’s judging eyes and tone.

“Yes, we have a room reserved for Pang,” Kuvira said, putting on her old authoritarian voice and trying to sound as high class as possible.

“You?” the concierge looked at Kuvira and then Bae. “And you? I’m sorry, you must be mistaken. This inn is full. Please leave now. Go on, go find a hostel.”

“You dare!?” Kuvira stepped toward the concierge, who didn’t seem to bat an eyelash. “Now you listen to me you wretched – “

“Pang!” Korra said, sauntering into the hallway with her arms up. “How great to see you made it. I hope Jimmy here is helping you out, getting all checked in and whatnot?”

“Avatar Korra!” Jimmy, the concierge, said. His demeanor had changed from indignant to pathetic people pleaser. “These are your friends? I’m so sorry, I thought they were just – ah, no matter. I do apologize. We’ll get them checked in right away.”

Meantime, Bae’s jaw was on the floor. It was Avatar Korra in the flesh, before her very eyes, talking to Pang like old friends. Korra pat her friend on the back. 

“Good to see you guys made it in one piece,” the Avatar said, smiling at Kuvira before turning to Bae and offering a hand. “Hi, I’m Korra; it’s nice to meet y—”

“Avatar Korra! OH man. I mean Woman. I mean Avatar. I mean HA! It’s you. I’ve been waiting my whole life to meet you,” Bae said, star struck.

Korra was somewhat used to fangirls and boys at this point in her life and shrugged.

“Thanks. You too?”

They were all standing in the lobby waiting for Pang to get checked in when Asami slinked out and put her arms around Korra from behind. They could all smell the booze emanating from Asami’s breath and skin. She had a long day after all. 

“Pang!” Asami said, snickering before noticing the lady with her. “And who is this?”

“I’m Bae, you’re Asami Sato,” Bae said, taking Asami’s hand and shaking it. “Wow, your hands are so soft and beautiful. And wait a second, just who are you, by the way!”

At the last bit, Bae directed her energy back to Kuvira. 

“Who me? I’m Pang,” Kuvira said.

“You’re close personal friends with the Avatar and Asami Sato –”

“I mean I wouldn’t exactly call us friends,” Asami interjected.

Bae continued, “so what is this and who are youuuu??” 

Kuvira remembered that Bae was also drunk. Splendid, she thought. Two drunk women in a public hallway ready to spill all our secrets. She looked over at Korra who exchanged a mutual glance and nod.

“Hey, how about we get out of this lobby, huh baby?” Korra said. “Let’s move this party upstairs!”

They all turned to head up after Kuvira was finally checked in and received the keys to her room. Her room number was nine and Korrasami’s was eleven. 

“I’m just going to make sure everything is good here. But I’ll come get you in a few,” Kuvira said.

“Yea, come and get us, meow,” Asami cooed, slapping Korra’s ass before they entered their suite and shut door number eleven. 

*

Room nine was a humble assemblage of boutique furniture and one queen sized bed in the middle to which Bae immediately plopped on top of, not caring to wash herself. She did a side curl and promptly fell asleep.

Kuvira had come to know Bae as a deep sleeper during their travels, and so, relieved, rejoined Korrasami in their room.

The walk down the hallway was surprisingly long, considering it was only two doors down. As she approached, she felt something stir within her, her stomach doing flips at the realization she hadn’t seen her friends in over a year. 

She steadied herself at the door and knocked. Korra swung the door wide.

“Well, hello there Pang. How nice to see you. Won’t you come in Pang?” Korra nudged Kuvira, winking.

Kuvira shook her head and entered.

The suite was at least three times the size of Kuvira’s humble room with double doors opening to a balcony and a view of the cute little village below. But of course she wasn’t complaining; she was happy to have somewhere to sleep – that is, if Kuvira could figure out a way to move Bae’s big butt over. If not, then it would be the bathtub for her. 

At any rate, Kuvira wasn’t there to talk beds. She was on a mission– the message from Kyoshi. She took a seat at the coffee table and picked up the newspaper that was folded there.

“Can I get you a drink?” Korra offered 

“I’ll take a water, if you have it.” 

“Of course there’s water. Actually, because of you, there’s clean water here now – all the time,” Korra said. “But anyway, hows about a real drink? I was thinking of shaking it up myself. Can’t just leave my sweetheart hanging.”

Just then the door to the bathroom swung wide and steam billowed out. Asami emerged with a towel and long wet hair tumbling about her fresh face. 

Kuvira averted her gaze to the newspaper in an attempt to be modest. 

“Hello there Kuvira, or should I say ‘Pang,’” Asami said. 

She walked by, leaving a trail of water at her feet to reach her massive suitcase and grab some clothes before heading back to the bathroom.

“If you excuse me,” Asami continued, and closed the bathroom door. 

Kuvira tried not to gawk at the outrageously beautiful woman. “I’ll take a stronger drink than water after all.”

“Woohoo! Party,” Korra said, heading to the kitchen and returning moments later with a bottle of fancy champagne.

She walked over to the balcony and angled the bottle toward the tiled roof across the way before popping the top off and sending it soaring in a glorious arch. 

The Avatar pulled out three ceramic cups and filled them with champagne at the table.

“We were going to toast this to celebrate our victory, but now we’re just gonna drink it anyway,” Korra said.

“You know, the old me would never have toasted to anything until I secured complete victory over my conquests.” Kuvira smiled. “But that was the old me.”

Asami came out from the bathroom again wearing booty shorts and a cropped t-shirt with her perky breasts hanging loose and braless underneath.

Kuvira tried desperately not to blush but in the process became flustered and blushed anyway.

“It’s too early for my bed-time gown. We’re all friends, right? I mean, it’s sort of cold out, but it sure is hot in here,” Asami said.

“Do you feel better now after a shower baby?” Korra said.

Asami stretched, showing off her flat belly, and took a seat at the table. “I feel so refreshed. Thank you, sweetheart.”

“For what baby?” 

“For, you know.” 

She winked not so subtly at Korra and it was clear to Kuvira that Asami was still drunk.

“Perhaps you don’t need this champagne toast then,” Kuvira suggested.

Asami laughed, and then her big green eyes glossed over with tears and her face crumpled downward and she slumped her head on her arms at the table.

“Oops, I didn’t mean it like that. You’ll get ‘em next year.” Kuvira tried to say all the consoling things with Korra backing her up. 

“Ugh,” Asami lifted herself up. Then, she seemingly soberly said, “Well, we lost. And that’s OK. Next year we’ll come back and do better. My resolution here on out, at any rate, is to dedicate more time to my passions.”

“That sounds very nice love,” Korra said, rubbing Asami’s back.

“Mmmm, I love when you call me that,” Asami purred.

Asami may have been not sober but it seemed to Kuvira she could waver back and forth from holding her liquor to letting herself spill out at the seams, though she had no clue who Asami really was. 

The three women lifted their cups and clanked them before taking sips of bubbly.

Asami graduated to water to let the other gals catch up while she wound down.

“What happened to your friend, by the way?” Asami asked Kuvira.

“Bae? She passed out. Cold,” Kuvira said. “But it’s probably for the best because I need to speak candidly.”

Korra leaned in, giving Kuvira her full attention.

“Go on.”

“I need a ride to the Southern Air Temple. To arrive before the Harvest Moon,” Kuvira said. 

“Why? What’s so special about it?” Korra asked. 

Asami was likewise engaged in Kuvira’s mysterious request.

“I don’t know, but Avatar Kyoshi – she visited me. Well, I visited her. In a Pai Sho board and she told me to go to there,” Kuvira blushed realizing what she said sounded outlandish, and perhaps it did – to anyone other than the Avatar.

“Kyoshi? Thee Avatar Kyoshi visited you?” Korra slumped in her chair. 

“What’s the matter?” Kuvira replied.

“She hasn’t visited me, and I’m the Avatar. In fact, I haven’t had contact with any past Avatars at all since harmonic convergence.”

“Ooh, my baby is jealous,” Asami said, poking her girlfriend teasingly.

“I’m not jealous! I’m not,” Korra retorted before smiling back at her drunk girlfriend. “OK, a little. But that’s only because the Great Kyoshi visited you and not me, you know, your friendly neighborhood Avatar.”

“She mentioned you!” Kuvira blurted out as she recalled more of the dreamlike experience. “But I couldn’t get the full message. It cut out. Said something about balance and the Avatar.”

Korra’s face turned a pale shade of brown as the blood drained from her face.

“Honey, are you OK? You look awful.” Asami rubbed Korra’s back.

“No,” Korra said a moment later after collecting herself. “It’s just – I haven’t been able to go into the Avatar state. Well, it’s not that I can’t – I won’t. I’ve actually shut that part of myself down entirely. It’s funny, I spent three years chasing it, and now…”

“What do you mean?” Kuvira beckoned.

Korra continued: “I’m afraid of my myself. I’ve been having nightmares for about a year now. But actually, it started long before – around Harmonic Convergence. It didn’t seem or feel like a big deal then, but lately like I said, I’ve felt… different.”

“Different?”

Korra nodded, and Asami continued to massage her girlfriend’s back, moving her hand up her shoulder and neck. 

“It’s OK, sweetheart. You don’t have to talk about it now,” Asami said reassuringly.

“Anyway, I’m fine for the most part. I’m just not going into the Avatar State until I figure out what I’m going to do about it. But other than that, I’m the same old jolly me. See?” Korra made her signature crooked smile.

“You are so adorable,” Asami said and took it upon herself to straddle Korra’s lap.

Kuvira shifted in her seat at the display. Likewise she had wondered previously whether Korra would offer to restore her bending, but now that she wasn’t going into the Avatar State at all, Kuvira took it as an omen that all was meant be. 

“On that note,” she said. “I’ll leave you two to do whatever it is you do.”

“Wait,” Asami said. She didn’t bother to turn around but instead starting kissing Korra’s neck. “We’ll give you a lift. It sounds important.”

“Um, OK then. Wonderful, actually.” Kuvira stood up, blushing madly, and Korra shrugged as Asami continued to canoodle her Avatar.

Suddenly, Asami stopped her gestures and, turning toward Kuvira, she said in an overtly sultry voice: “did you say Bae was asleep in your room?”

“Yes, but I can be qui—”

“Also, can I be honest with you?” Asami interrupted.

Now Korra was blushing because she knew what was coming. 

“I don’t like you very much – didn’t anyway – but I think you’re very handsome. And this new look suits you.”

Kuvira once again became aware of her disheveled appearance. The fabrics of her clothes were worn down from a year of travel and only having one outfit, and her hair had grown to a shaggy black mass that reached eye level. She slid her fingers through her greasy tresses, tucking them back and behind her ear, which, unbeknownst to her, accentuated the beauty mark beneath her right eye.

“Spirits,” Asami said. “You know what’s different about you?” 

“What?” Kuvira was curious.

And so was Korra, though if she was being honest with herself, she was a cocktail of curious, jealous, and turned on. They listened.

“You’re rugged. You’re a salty dog. No but that’s not it. You’re just – I don’t know. I feel like I’m meeting another side of you,” Asami said.

Kuvira found Asami’s drunken words to be oddly kind coming from her former (or current?) enemy.

“Yes, rugged and dirty,” Kuvira replied after Korra nodded at her approvingly. So, she decided to humor the gorgeous woman. And of course Kuvira was experienced with the Avatar. She raised a thick eyebrow at the couple before her. “Well, I should probably clean up. I’m probably smelly to boot.”

“Please, use our shower.” Asami bit her lip. “And I have a robe and an extra pair of clothes for you.”

“Uh, yes, please make yourself comfortable,” Korra added.

Next thing Kuvira knew, she was undressing with the bathroom door closed and examining her lithe naked body in front of the mirror while the shower ran and steam filled the room. 

She stepped in and took a gloriously long piping hot shower, and it gave her time to build up heat within herself. It had been so long, it seemed, since she got laid. It wasn’t anything sexual between her and Bae, with whom she would never cross the line because she had killed her father. Kuvira felt protective of her in that way. 

But let’s face it, Kuvira also killed Asami’s father. Life was messy sometimes, but at least Asami knew about it. And perhaps they could all find a way to move on. 

Kuvira took the shower head and unhooked it from the holder, moving it down her chest and abs and farther down, until it reached her sensitive nether region. The pressure and heat caused Kuvira to recoil at first but then she slowly brought it back to her sacrum, moving it in circular motions, getting herself worked up just enough to be down for whatever lay ahead out there on the other side of the bathroom door. She suppressed a loud moan then when the pressure of the water unexpectedly spiked and her toes curled on the tile floor. 

Rather than letting herself come, she turned off the shower and toweled off before deciding between the robe and the outfit. In that moment, Kuvira came to her senses. Perhaps she read the signs wrong out there, and she put on the very cute ensemble Asami left for her. It was more or less the same thing she wore when they called upon her to help take down Commander Guan and his thought control campaign in Gaoling -- a maroon turtleneck with a white blouse and grey vest, and maroon slacks.

At any rate, she felt refreshed. Kuvira stepped out of the bathroom and heard a sensual moaning sound coming from the bed. She looked and saw Korra on top of Asami at the edge of the bed, making out and getting handsy.

Asami broke out of her horny reverie with Korra to give Kuvira a once over.

“Oh my god, you look so hot in my clothes,” Asami said.

“I agree,” Korra said.

This wasn’t a mere fantasy after all. There were two beautiful women in front of Kuvira beckoning her thither, but somehow she found herself frozen at the door. For as confident and traversed a woman Kuvira was, this was new territory.

Asami got up and approached the former Great Uniter. She found Kuvira’s hand and played with her fingers, putting one then a couple more in her mouth. 

Kuvira shivered as she felt the warm wetness of Asami’s mouth around her cleansed fingers. Asami leaned her head into Kuvira’s nape and took a whiff.

“Mmm, you smell really good too,” she said.

“This is your body wash – sakura, I believe.”

Asami laughed. “Yup, I know a good smell when I smell one.”

She pulled away then and said soberly, “Also, if this is making you uncomfortable at all, we can put a cork in this whole affair.”

Kuvira looked over to Korra again, who exuded the perfect balance of muscle and thickness, of curves and a cute face. She looked back at Asami and smiled, placing her hand on the curve of her hips and feeling a shiver go up Asami’s spine.

“The only condition is we go about our business as usual tomorrow and never talk about our little three-way tango again,” Kuvira said then, regaining control over herself and as a result, the situation.

“Deal,” Korrasami said in unison. 

And that’s when, emboldened, Kuvira leaned in to do what she had secretly fantasized about long before she felt comfortable admitting – she planted a wet kiss on Asami’s plump lips as her other hand found Asami’s other hip.

Korra watched as they made out and all her cocktail of emotions was soon overpowered by the overwhelming desire to fuck. 

Asami pulled away from Kuvira’s eager lips and led her to the bed, and Kuvira found a seat at the divan at the foot. 

“Hold on a moment,” Asami said. She moseyed off to her pile of suitcases and returned with a brief case. “Curious to know what’s in here?” 

Korra grinned and tried not to giggle. She knew, though Kuvira was curious.

“What is it? A toy?”

“Mmmhmm, several, actually,” Asami opened the briefcase and unveiled an array of dildos and strap-ons, and what was that funny shaped thing with a button?

Asami lifted up the toy in question, as if reading Kuvira’s mind, and continued: “This is one of my inventions. It’s called reverberator. Got the idea from my electrode glove. Wanna see how it works?”

She switched it on and a buzzing sound emanated in the room. Then she walked over to Korra, who had her legs splayed as she leaned against the head of the bed. Asami crawled up next to her and teased the device along Korra’s thigh and dangerously close to her throbbing bud atop her sweat pants, finally landing at the center and pulsing there a moment.

Korra moaned and leaned her pussy into the toy.

“Neat huh?” Asami said.

“Very,” Kuvira agreed.

Asami turned off the device and Korra groaned. 

“I’m sorry baby. I’m not done showing Kuvira our toys.” 

Asami kissed Korra deeply with mad love behind each heaving breath, and that turned the Avatar on more than anything in the world.

Sensing this was enough to hold her Avatar over, Asami returned to the suitcase to continue show and tell. 

“These are all my cocks,” Asami said. “There are a few girths and lengths to choose from. I like the big one, right baby?” She pulled it out and winked at Korra who blushed and nodded.

“Have you ever tried it?” Korra asked Kuvira.

“Me? Nope. I don’t know how to use that thing. Looks difficult,” Kuvira said. “Well actually, when I was a metalbender, I used to – ah, never mind.”

“It takes a lot of coordination and stamina, but you get the hang of it after a while,” Korra added. “Wanna give it a whirl?”

Kuvira was curious indeed. 

“You go first. And I’ll watch,” Kuvira said after a moment.

Korrasami took that as their cue to advance upon each other, and Kuvira got a show of what saphhic lovers do. However, letting her old self shine through just a wee bit, she found herself giving orders.

“I want you two to undress each other. Slowly, kissing freshly exposed bits of skin as you do it.” 

Kuvira’s panties were long soaked, and next thing she knew she was taking off the clothes she had just put on and touching herself as she watched the display before her.

“Put the strap on and fuck her,” Kuvira said after a time. 

And they obeyed. Korra strapped on, now naked with her core and abs rippling up to her thick bosom, and strong arms straddling either side of Asami, who lay back on the bed.

Asami was naked now as well, her legs spread raven eagle to expose her pink folds to the open air. 

They got the lube and rubbed it all along the base and up the shaft and along the tip of the cock; Korra spit in her hand and rubbed Asami’s vagina, simultaneously stimulating her clit. 

Finally, Asami was good and loose and Korra inched her way in and began to pump, slowly at first with Asami moaning wildly until the CEO took her own power back and demanded Korra to pound her to smithereens. 

It took a lot of stamina, Kuvira noticed, and prowess to navigate that thing so beautifully, which Korra did. And it turned Kuvira on to see Asami’s face contort in pleasure with Korra likewise deriving pleasure from watching Asami. 

After Asami came the first time, Kuvira joined the party and lavished affection on the two women, first with her lips kissing down Korra’s nape to her shoulder, standing behind her and sliding her finger underneath the strap-on to Korra’s sloppy wet clit beneath her shameless bush, bristly and magnificent. She circled round and round and felt Korra gasp in front of her as she leaned forward against the bed for support and incidentally closer to Asami’s face.

“You wanna try the strap-on? Or we have fresh ones over – ahh – there,” Korra husked as Kuvira worked mercilessly with her deft fingers on Korra’s clit.

It did seem Kuvira wanted to take control, but if she was being honest with herself, what she really wanted was a good pounding.

“Actually, I’ll have what Asami’s having,” Kuvira said.

At some point, they found themselves in in a three-way position with Korra fucking Kuvira ever so deeply doggy style, Kuvira concentrating on devouring Asami’s pussy on the bed between thrusts, and Asami arching her back and gripping Kuvira’s thick sweaty hair and keeping her eyes locked on Korra, her love. 

They fucked this way and that all the livelong night, coming incessantly until frustrations and past karma melted away and they exhausted themselves a sweaty pile of bodies, the room exuding a heady atmosphere of sex. 

In the early morning, when Kuvira had awaken and discovered Asami was long up and showered and make-upped and dressed, Kuvira draped the robe around her, grabbed her clothes, and excused herself from the room.

She returned to room nine to find Bae miraculously still sleeping. A sleeping little bitty. Relieved, Kuvira slipped into the shower and took a long hot one, still lost in a reverie of all the fuckenings that occurred the night before. 

Finally, when she felt herself returning to reality, her thoughts circled back to Opal and the fact that she would see her soon – finally after all this time. Kuvira’s heart thudded as the shower beat against her chest. It was one thing to want Opal and to get what she wanted; it was another for Opal to want her. And she wasn’t sure whether Opal wanted her anymore – or if she ever did for that matter. 

Kuvira came out of the shower dressed with her hair tamed as Bae was waking up. She yawned and did a double take.

“Pang, you clean up nice!” Bae said. “Also, what did I miss?”

Kuvira shook her head and laughed. 

“Nothing. Nothing at all, except we got our ride to the Southern Air Temple. Can you believe it?”

“Woohoo, it’s all happening.” Bae waved her hands about all juju-like.

On the airship Kuvira, Korra, and Asami acted cordially with one another, respectfully. 

“Good day to you Pang,” Korra said.

“And to you, Avatar,” Kuvira replied. “Asami.”

“Pang.”

Bae looked at all of them funny and shrugged. Maybe this was how rich folk interacted for all she knew. Who was she to judge?

Asami was at the helm of the airship while Kuvira sat in peace for the first time in ages, reading the newspaper about Firerarri’s big win (and Future Industries’ big loss) at the races. 

They enjoyed quiet company during the longish flight, Korra, Asami, and Kuvira occasionally exchanging knowing glances at one another and trying to hold in their smiles. 

Bae, meantime, was absorbed in her own world; she was either none the wiser of the affair or didn’t care.


	24. The Southern Air Temple

Long ago, before the 100 Year War, when the Four Nations lived together in harmony, the Southern Air Temple was known for its beauty and home to generations of legendary airbenders. Then, everything changed when the Fire Nation attacked and wiped out nearly all of the airbenders, except for one – Avatar Aang. 

Nearly 180 years later, The Southern Air Temple finally re-settled with airbenders and acolytes, and the Future Industries Airship sailed south toward it.

Asami stood in the cockpit of the flying ship and Korra, Kuvira, and Bae lounged around, looking outward at the thick clouds and jagged mountain rage appearing ahead.

“My navigation tells me that’s the Potola Mountains, which means we’re close.” Asami confirmed her coordinates. 

“Thank the spirits! I need my feet to touch land. I never rode in an airship before, and this Earth Nation gal is already missin’ good ‘ol earth,” Bae said. 

“Hate to break it to ya,” Korra said. “But where we’re going, there’s a lot more air than Earth.”

Kuvira and Bae gave each other a look. Neither had been to the Southern Air Temple, and neither knew what to expect. 

“Use to be the only way to get there was a flying skybison.” Korra crossed her arms leisurely.

“That was then baby,” Asami said. She smirked and flipped a switch and gripped the steering wheel. “Hold onto your butts.”

“What do you m–” Bae started to ask, but then found herself gripping a nearby rail with all her might as the airship angled sharply upward.

The ship soared up, up, up, past the clouds along the immense Potolas until they evened out again and came upon a temple with tall white and blue spires carved into a mountain. 

As they approached, they saw families of skybison and flying lemur monkeys circling about the area. Below were tiny figures – humans and air animals and spirits aplenty going about their business.

They landed on an open plot of land to Kai and Bumi waiting to greet them. 

Jinora and Opal watched from atop a spire and out of general sight of the arriving party. The young airbending master had given Opal a day quest to procure an herb from a nearby valley. 

Though surprised, both of the young women were excited to see the airship pull in. Because the temple was remote, it took awhile for information to reach them and Korrasami could not phone or send a telegram before arriving on such short notice. 

“Master Jinora, I’ll say hello to Korra and Asami and whoever is with them before I head to the valley,” Opal said.

“Sounds good to me. And how many times do I have to tell you to call me Jinora when it’s just me and you?”

Jinora, wise in her youth, was petite in shoulder-length hair and sky-blue airbending tattoos encircling her body and pointing down her forehead. They both wore form-fitted modern airbender jumpsuits, though Jinora’s was decorated with a sash to signify her status as not only a master airbender but Headmaster of the Southern Air Temple.

They watched the ship land. The door opened slowly and Asami followed by Korra walked out and greeted Bumi and Kai with mutual bowing before the Avatar scooped the men up in a tight embrace, their feet dangling in the air. Bumjun, Bumi’s flying bunny spirit companion, hovered around them.

Moments later another figure strode out. Opal did a double-take, squinting because the figure’s gait was familiar. Her chest tightened – she recognized that swagger, but then again, this person was different. She couldn’t quite make out the face, as it was obscured by a hat. Not until the figure lifted it briefly to comb her fingers through her hair.

Opal and Jinora gasped. Kuvira! While Jinora had just as quickly regained her composure – the surprise a fleeting thing, the rustle of passing wind – Opal felt faint. She tucked one side of her bob behind her ear and bit her lip, her big eyes fastened to the scene below and her emotions stirring up all sorts of confusion. There Kuvira was after all this time, alive, in the flesh.

Another figure emerged, hobbling about on sea legs. This one short and attractive with wild curly hair. She made a ruckus and everyone below turned their gaze toward the little woman and laughed with her, even Kuvira under her enormous hat. Opal noticed this especially. She watched as the woman braced herself onto Kuvira’s arm for balance and how Kuvira assisted by hoisting her up and sharing eye contact with the woman all the while. 

Opal took a step back as if gutted by an invisible force. 

“Actually, Jinora. I’m going on that mission first.”

Sensing something was amiss, Jinora didn’t press the issue but nodded at her friend. 

Meanwhile, Juicy lay on the grass directly below cuddling with Korra’s skybison, Moo. The two had pair-bonded and were practically inseparable, that is, until Opal had called upon her companion for important missions.

“Juicy! Yip Yip!” Opal called from above.

The skybison recognized his beloved human’s voice and perked up immediately. He noticed something amiss in her tone but was nonetheless thrilled to spend time with her. With that, he licked his snotty nostrils, cuddled his sweetheart one last time, and lifted off to hover at the window of the spire where the two women stood. 

Opal hopped on and Jinora stood at the edge of the window. They took off in their respective directions, Jinora gliding down below in her winged jumpsuit, and Opal flying off to procure an herb.

*

“Kai, you’re so tall now!” Korra said after she put them down. 

Kai chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck. “Yea, I guess I wasn’t done growing.” He sported his signature messy bowl cut and looked at her with innocent eyes that meant mischief.

“And Bumi, looking fit as ever.” Korra shadow boxed playfully toward Bumi’s abs.

“Who me? This old bag of bones?” The old man grinned, baring his sparkling white teeth and exhibiting his body with muscle poses. 

“I can see who Meelo takes after,” Korra jested.

Asami and Kai joined in laughing and bantering as Kuvira and Bae stood behind. Kuvira had been watching a flying skybison and a figure resembling Opal sail off in the opposite direction. Her heart simultaneously soared and sank. 

“Aren’t you going to introduce your friends?” Bumi said. He sized up the stranger in the cloak and hat in particular. “Hey, wait a sec. You’re K—”

Korra cut Bumi off. “Guys, this is Pang. And next to her is Bae.” 

Kuvira tried to keep her face obscured by the brim of the hat, nonchalantly though, as she and Bae bowed.

“By the way,” Korra continued. “We’d like to speak to Jinora if possible.”

“It’s possible,” Jinora’s voice sounded from above as she glided down. She landed and gave Korra and Asami a hug and they also exchanged bows. 

“Master Jinora.” 

“Avatar Korra.”

The two old friends giggled. Jinora joined Kai and entwined their fingers and they exchanged glances as if in on a never-ending inside joke with each other. 

After a spell, Jinora remembered the guests. She had known since perched on the spire that the taller stranger was Kuvira but remained tight-lipped of her knowledge. For the sake of neutral jing until she figured out what was going on, she played into the charade.

“Welcome, I’m Jinora –”

“Master Jinora,” Bumi interrupted, clearing his throat.

“Yes, Master and more or less the boss around here,” Kai said. He winked at his girlfriend, who elbowed him playfully.

Straightening up but maintaining a relaxed demeanor, Jinora continued:

“Like I said, welcome. How about I show you around?”

They nodded and followed their tour guide. Getting around was easier said than done, the non-airbenders found, as the levels were separated by steep trails and spiraling stone stair cases, which airbenders used to hop up 10 and 20 at a time. The rest had to climb those fuckers one by one, which is what the air acolytes and visiting dignitaries did anyway. No one was above fair treatment here, unless of course they could bend air.

They stopped at a field dotted with scores of twenty-foot pillars and two targets on opposite ends. 

“This is the field where Grandpa Aang used to play airball as a kid growing up here,” Jinora said.

“Grandpa Aang?” Bae whispered to Kuvira, but Jinora had heard her and replied:

“Pardon me for not explaining. Avatar Aang was my grandpa and –”

“The last airbender,” Bae said. “Whoa. So you’re like, super spirity huh?”

“Well, not everyone related to Grandpa Aang is spirity, right Uncle Bumi?” Jinora looked at her uncle and cocked an eyebrow.  
Bumi laughed heartily, slapping his knee, “Yea, like my dear brother Tenzin.”

Bumjun was perched on his shoulder, also laughing with its little spirit wing-ears bouncing along.

“Who is my father and Avatar Aang’s son,” Jinora continued. “I know, it’s a lot. And don’t worry, you won’t be quizzed on this.”

Bumi and Kai decided to play a few rounds of airball. Bumi was feeling confident in his advanced age after getting the hang of airbending, but Kai was a young prodigy and a prankster. Bumi was in fact doomed. 

Kai kissed Jinora on the cheek, causing her face to flush red momentarily before he bounced off to play airball with Bumi, leaving the women.

They continued walking past Air acolytes studying, gurus who had come down from the mountains meditating, and airbenders practicing basic forms or air scootering around.

Korra felt a familiar tingle when they stopped in front of a statue of an ancient airbending monk sitting in lotus position on one of the balconies. She closed her eyes and bowed deeply in front of the statue of a man with half-closed eyelids to signify a face of calm and serenity.

“We must not concern ourselves with what was, we must act on what is,” Korra found herself saying, though the words were not hers. Tears trickled down her face.

“Who’s that?” Asami said. 

“It’s –” Jinora began.

But Korra cut her off: “Monk Gyatso.” She wiped her tears with the back of her forearm. “I feel him. I mean, I felt Aang remembering him – this was Aang’s master. Wow.”

Korra hadn’t experienced an immediate connection with a past Avatar in a long time, not since before harmonic convergence.

“We originally settled at the Northern Air Temple, but I felt called to the South because here’s where Grandpa Aang’s spirit is the strongest. The other Avatars too,” Jinora said, placing her hand on Gyatso’s shoulder. 

“Do you talk to Aang?” Korra asked.

“Sometimes.” Jinora looked down at her feet. Her humble answer downplayed her strong connection with spirits. “Which leads us to our last stop for now.”

Jinora led the other women to a semi-secluded area and came to a closed set of double-doors adorned with a maze of twisted pipes as a lock.

“The Hall of Avatars,” Korra said, gazing at the doors and grazing her hand along one of the pipes. “Shall we?”

“Asami, Bae, and… Pang,” Jinora said. “Wanna see something neat that hardly any outsider in history has ever beheld?”

“No thanks, I’m good. Rather watch dust settle,” Bae teased. “Are you kidding me?! Of course I do!’

Kuvira remained silent. Nodded.

The two airbenders took deep breaths and made circular movements with their arms, generating a coordinated swirl of air that broke off and filled the respective pipes. The massive doors creaked open and light from the outside spilled into the dark hall.

They stepped inside and beheld a mesmerizing wonder of the world – statues of every Avatar going back a thousand generations with Avatar Aang at the front. 

Everyone was awestruck, but Kuvira was particularly struck by the seven-foot tall statue of the last Earth-bending Avatar, Kyoshi. It was not lost on Jinora and Korra that Kuvira was entranced with the statue. 

“So this is the great Avatar Kyoshi,” Bae said. “She’s, she’s beautiful.”

“And much more,” Kuvira added.

Korra put her hand on her chest as if to call upon Raava’s spirit within her but as soon as she felt something stir, she quickly quelled it and decided to move the party’s purpose along.

“Kuvira is here on important business,” Korra began, though when the words left her mouth, she realized her blunder. “I mean Pang. I mean… awe crap.” She slapped her forehead with the heel of her hand. “

Bae, Asami, and Kuvira stopped frozen. Bae slowly turning her head to Kuvira whose face flushed crimson red.

“Bae, I can explain. I was going to tell you –” Kuvira pleaded. She took a step toward her traveling companion.

“Tell me what?” Bae said, incredulous and suddenly feeling claustrophobic in the high altitude.

“I’m not… who you think I am. I’m not Pang. Because I’m…”

“Kuvira, the woman who killed my husband,” Bae said finally, taking a step back and then another and another until, face full of tears, she turned around and ran away.

“Wait!” Kuvira yelled back. Her spirit about jumped out its body to follow, but her body stayed put.

Korra rubbed the back of her neck and Asami went over to comfort her, leaning in and kissing her cheek as if to communicate silently that it was OK she messed up.

Kuvira fell to her knees and sat in silence and Jinora approached the former Great Uniter, hovering over her.

“I’ve known who you were from the moment you stepped off the plane, but I was listening and waiting, much like your idol, Kyoshi,” Jinora said with an air of authority nodding toward the statue next to them. “And I know why you’re here.”

Kuvira and Korrasami sharply turned their heads toward Jinora. 

In unison, they all said: “You do?”

“Yes. I talk to spirits, you know. I hear things. Sometimes I picnic with Grandpa Aang and Iroh. No big deal.” Jinora shrugged. “But big deal – the Harvest Moon. It’s coming up in one week.” She looked from Kyoshi to Kuvira and finally to Korra.

Kuvira stood and addressed Jinora with humble honesty, bowing deeply from the waist. 

“My apologies, Master Jinora for not being up front with you. I know I'm a fugitive, but I would be honored if you received me here to discover my destiny.” She pointed at Kyoshi’s statue. “I was called to speak to Kyoshi on the night of the Earth Moon.”

Jinora considered her words before speaking. “As an Air Nomad, we believe no person is beyond forgiveness, and if it’s true what they say about you – that you maimed yourself, I can’t help but wonder how badly you want it.”

Kuvira didn’t know how to respond. Perhaps at first and on the surface, she sought forgiveness, but as she walked those months in self-styled purgatory, she found glimpses of emptiness, and so in the end all she wanted was to be, to burn away the restlessness. It occurred to Kuvira that what she just said about her destiny sounded silly.

Jinora smiled as if sensing this realization, continued: “You may stay as our guest – all of you. And on the night of the Harvest Moon, you will speak to Avatar Kyoshi.” She bowed to seal the deal and Kuvira reciprocated but Korrasami did not.

“Actually, Korra said, shuffling her feet. “Asami and I have to get back, right Sami?”

“Hmm? Well, it’s not urgent, we could…” Asami caught on to Korra’s ruse by her pleading gaze and corrected her statement. “Oh, yes. We have business stuff.” 

“You see?” Korra said with her arms Akimbo. “We really must be going – right away.”

She took Asami’s hand and turned to go. 

“Are you sure? You just got here,” Jinora said.

“Korra, wait!” Kuvira noticed she had spent a bulk of her time here at the Southern Air Temple watching all of her friends from run from her.

*

Once outside the Hall of Avatars and back near the statue of Monk Gyatso, Asami felt it safe enough to confront her girlfriend honestly. She stopped in their tracks and untangled hands.

“What’s going on with you? Does it have to do with the Dark Avatar?” Asami said.

“It’s nothing OK?” Korra tried to lie, realized Asami could see right through her. She slumped her shoulders. “Ah, it’s something. I don’t want to hurt anybody. I don’t want to… be a liability to the world.”

Asami moved to embrace her Avatar, letting Korra’s head nestle in her nape nook as she gently stroked her love’s chestnut hair.

“Sometimes I feel irrelevant. Like the world doesn’t need me anymore,” Korra mumbled into Asami’s chest.

This wasn't the first time Asami comforted Korra about her insecurities. 

“The world needs you to be the Avatar of your time. You’re not Aang or Kyoshi – different Avatars for different times and different needs,” Asami said. “So whaddya say you join Kuvira in talking with Kyoshi? I’ll leave you here and come back and get you – or you can take Moo home when you’re ready.”

Korra reconsidered. “Hmm… OK then. Maybe I’ll see my past life and know how to do better in the present. Maybe she’ll know how to deal with Vaatu,” Korra found herself saying out loud, confirming the reality. “Or get rid of it at least.”

Korra looked up and noticed a dark figure sitting in lotus position hovering at the edge of the balcony. He looked strangely familiar, though Korra had never seen this man in her current lifetime.

“I am Guru Patik,” the old leathery man said from where he sat – on the air. “I could not help but overhear your conversation from where I was meditating and sent my spirit to you. Apologies if I scared you.”

He smiled warmly, revealing deep-lined crow’s feet at his eyes. He was dark-skinned and had a long white beard and eyebrows and was so thin, he seemed to survive solely on dewdrops and sunshine. 

Guru Patik continued cheerfully: “I guided your previous incarnation, Avatar Aang, during the apex of the 100-year war. We are old friends.”

“Wait.” Korra said. “How old are you?”

Patik chuckled. “The real question is, where am I? Am I here at the Southern Air Temple, or meditating from elsewhere?”

Korra bowed to honor her past life’s old friend and guide.

“Oh wise Guru, I beg of you, please tell me what to do about Vaatu.”

“Do you really want to know that? It is always better to tell the truth, but only when the recipient is ready to hear. For today, you will not accept my answer. Let’s start with the first truth -- please ask me your other question.”

Korra did not expect to hear this answer but she likewise knew the other question that burned within her long before Harmonic Convergence.

“Is there a purpose for the Avatar anymore?” she said, fearing but craving the answer.

In a friendly tone, Guru Patik replied: “The closer you get to anything solid, you eventually discover emptiness. There is no purpose for you, Avatar Korra. The world does not need you. It will continue long after the Avatar cycle has ended for good. And the Cosmos will endure long after the end of this Earth. All is simultaneously meaningful and meaningless.”

Though Korra heard the old Guru, it was not what she wanted to hear.

“Thanks for that,” Korra said, getting worked up. “And maybe I’ll take my own bending too while I’m at it.”

Guru Patik shrugged and just like that, dissipated into thin air.

“Korra, I don’t think that’s what he meant.” Asami tried to soothe Korra by rubbing her arm. 

Korra teared away. “No, I got it. On second thought, I wanna get back to Republic City as soon as possible. I gotta go see Tenzin.”

“If you want baby,” Asami said. 

Kuvira and Jinora re-emerged from the Hall of Avatars. 

“We’ve settled our arrangements,” Kuvira said before noticing Korra’s distraught appearance.

“Well, better get going,” Korra said, trying to sound put together. 

Jinora and everyone else saw through the façade. The Airbending master nodded. “I’m sorry to see you go, Korra. I’ve missed you, and I – I was going to say I understand, but I don’t. I respect your wishes as the Avatar.”

“Thank you.” Korra turned to Kuvira. “And sorry I exposed your identity to Bae and potentially ruined your friendship.” 

Kuvira shrugged. “It was inevitable. I’ll accept whatever consequence comes of this. She deserves it at least.”

With that, Korrasami departed, leaving Jinora and Kuvira – former enemies and current acquaintances – alone. 

“I don’t know how to thank you enough for trusting me and for not – selling me out to President Moon,” Kuvira said.

“Because she has every right to still be mad at you despite everything. And if I were being honest, so am I.” Jinora sighed and crossed her arms. “But we Air Nomads are in the business of forgiveness. Just don’t assume we forget.”

Kuvira understood and it was settled – all except for Bae who had wandered off somewhere in the immense temple. 

“I should see if Bae wants to kill me,” Kuvira said after the dust between Jinora and her rocky relationship settled.

“Or you could do what wise Earthbenders do – listen and wait.”

Kuvira knew the wise little airbending master was right, though the former Great Uniter had always been impatient.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *"Hold onto your butts" is a classic line from Jurassic Park


	25. Old Friends, New Friends

All was quiet at the Southern Air Temple save the for the rustling of wind in the late night. Most inhabitants of the temple rose with the dawn and lived more or less as modern monks.

Kuvira slept on her back in a humble room with curved walls and a small window with a view of the vast mountainscape. Its only furnishings were a cot for sleeping and a mat on the floor for meditating in seated position. There was space enough at the city-sized temple for everyone to have their own room, and for the first time in weeks, Kuvira had solitary albeit troubled sleep.

The door of her room creaked open and Bae tiptoed in, her hair and face obscured with a shawl to reveal the slits of her eyes, which were red and swollen from crying and glaring at the sleeping Kuvira.

On the floor lay one of Kuvira’s daggers in its scabbard and Bae swiped it stealthily, inching her way toward the woman in the bed. The waxing moon spirit shone through the small window illuminating specs of dust floating in the wind.

Kuvira turned to her side, and Bae froze in place as the other woman flopped on her back again. Several minutes later, Bae stirred after making sure Kuvira’s breaths were slow and heavy as that of a person in deep sleep. She found herself hovering above Kuvira with the dagger raised above the former Great Uniter’s chest, the light of the moon glinting off the blade.

She looked at Kuvira’s face again and softened before once again finding resolve in justice. She kneeled and kept her gaze fixated on the woman who was her friend and incidentally her greatest enemy – at the very least, she would give Kuvira the honor of her gaze, a living witness to the next life. She inhaled deeply, clasping the dagger with both hands and swung down hard toward the other’s woman heart.

In a fell swoop, Kuvira caught Bae’s wrists with one hand and held her second dagger’s edge at Bae’s neck with the other. Kuvira looked steadily at the other woman.

“I didn’t think you had the gumption, but I’m impressed.” Kuvira husked.

Tears streamed down Bae’s eyes, collecting in the fabric that obscured her face, and it broke Kuvira’s heart to see she caused someone she cared about so much pain. Still, she kept up her banter:

“You thought I was asleep but you would know I stir at the slightest sound if you weren’t the heaviest sleeper I ever met, and heavy-footed to boot.” Kuvira found herself egging the other woman on.

Bae remained silent -- the quietest Kuvira had seen of her since they met. She released her tight grip on Bae’s helpless wrists and lowered the dagger. Bae fell back on the ground and unraveled her shawl.

Kuvira sat up on the edge of the cot so that she looked down at Bae on the floor. “What? That’s it? You’re not going to avenge your husband’s death? I didn’t take you for a weakling, but perhaps I was wrong.”

“Stop it!” Bae’s voice crackled. They were the first words she spoke since running away from the Hall of Avatars earlier that day.

Kuvira joined Bae on the floor and got down on her knees. She grabbed Bae’s wrist, which still clutched the dagger and lifted it to her own neck.

“I’ve wronged you.” Kuvira began. “Now serve me justice!”

The former Great Uniter could see the wild pain in the other woman’s eyes, but in a few moments they changed from murderous to anger to something she couldn’t place.

“I thought you were so wise. And cool. But now I see you’re just a Fool. And I’m a lonely dreamer for following you, which also makes me a fool.” Bae seethed. “I could kill you – but that’d just bring you peace. I see that now. It’s not something I’m prepared to give you. Better to live with what you've done.”

Kuvira fell back and they both sat in silence for several minutes, watching the angle of the moon’s light shift along the floor of the room.

Without a word, Bae dropped the dagger, got up and exited the room, not even bothering to close the door behind her and leaving Kuvira in the same defeated position on the floor.

*

Bae sat at a terrace watching the sun rise. From a distance she saw an airbender riding in on a skybison. She had to admit this was truly a sight to behold – airbenders and skybisons and Avatars and… former dictators turned vigilantes, well just one of the latter. She let out a deep breath and sat up straight trying to meditate, something she had never done before.

The skybison landed behind her and made a guttural moan.

“I know Juicy. I didn’t mean for us to get lost. But we’re home now! Yay!” A young woman’s voice said.

Bae turned and saw an airbender float down from the bison’s saddle holding a basket filled with an herb she could smell from where she sat. The airbender pet her companion awhile before noticing Bae watching her.

“Oh, hello.” Opal said, blushing. “Sorry, I didn’t see you there.”

“I sure feel invisible right about now,” Bae mumbled.

“Didn’t catch that,” Opal called from where she stood.

“I said I shouldn’t a stared. This is all new to me – sorry.”

Opal approached and said “May I?” before sitting next to Bae at the edge of the balcony, their feet dangling. She turned toward the guest and held out a hand. “I’m Opal, nice to meet you. I saw you pull in earlier with Korra and the gang.”

Bae shook the woman’s hand, realizing who she was. “So You’re Opal. And wow, of course you’re very pretty. I’m Bae.”

Opal recoiled a bit and her cheeks turned ruddy.

“Sorry I didn’t stick around to say hello earlier.” Opal motioned behind her. “I had a mission and it ended up taking longer than I anticipated.”

Juicy groaned. Before Bae could reply, Opal spat out: “Why did you recognize my name? Does it have to do with the other person you arrived with?”

“Pa—I mean Kuvira?” Bae said. “Yea it does.

Bae found herself sizing up Opal then, but not out of jealousy – as a friend protective of her other friend. Oh no, she thought. She wanted to hate this person, but she couldn’t after all.

Opal sighed with her entire airbending being, floating up a few inches in the process.

“Exactly.” Bae said.

They both laughed.

“You two look great together, by the way. I mean, I noticed as I flew away. She looked happy with you,” Opal said after an awkward silence.

“What?” Bae realized what Opal meant and laughed with reckless abandon, coming unhinged. “Oh NO! We’re not together! Matter fact, I just tried ta kill her! You know she killed my husband?? Well, sort of.”

“Oh.” Opal said. “Sounds like Kuvira. She took my family hostage once and used to be engaged to my brother -- before she tried to kill him. All of us, really.”

Again both women laughed, near hysterically this time.

They broke the ice with stories about Kuvira – Bae regaling their travails on the road and along Serpent’s Pass, and Opal sharing selective stories – the ones that guarded her own feelings.

The morning sun burned up the dew as it rose higher in the sky, eventually meeting the clouds.

“Kuvira is a complicated woman.” Opal had picked up on the other woman’s sadness throughout their conversation which was friendly but also like an interview.

“No kiddin,’” Bae said.

“So is it true?” Opal had wanted to know for sure and waited for the right moment to ask.

“Is what true?”

“Kuvira’s bending – is it gone?”

“As far I can tell, yes. I thought she was a nonbender like me when we met. Took out three earthbenders easy.” Bae smiled thinking back to the good ol days a few weeks ago.

“Wow!” Opal said. She thought a moment.

“Also…She loves you.” Bae said.

Once again, Opal became flush. Watching the airbender’s reaction to this news, Bae thought Kuvira mustn’t be so terrible if she caused another person to react that way at the mention of love. She reached out a hand and placed it on Opal’s shoulder.

“But if you hurt her, I swear I’ll find a way back to this remote, extremely difficult to reach temple and take you out!” Bae found herself saying.

Opal smiled. “No promises. But you’re a good friend.”

“Not liking that about myself at the moment.”

“Did you know I used to hate her? For the longest time, I couldn’t stand her. I thought she was just terrible – and awesome. But my brother followed her around like a little puppy dog. He’d rather play with her than me. But now I --” Opal stopped herself from continuing.

Bae didn’t need to hear it. She knew. It was her turn to sigh.

“By the looks of it, we both been up all night to the bright morning. I’m gonna try to get some shut eye if I can.”

“Me too,” Opal said.

But they both knew they wouldn’t. They were too affected by Kuvira to rest.

*

It was late morning. Kuvira sat meditating under the window of her room. She hadn’t left since her encounter with Bae hours earlier and didn’t plan on leaving all day.

She heard a familiar voice clear their throat and opened her eyes to see Opal leaning against the door frame with her arms crossed.

“Opal!” Kuvira said, breaking whatever calm she had finally managed to wash over herself. “I, I didn’t hear you.”

“I’m light on my feet these days," Opal said flatly.

“Won’t you come in?” Kuvira gestured toward the nothing that filled the room.

“No thank you. I have a lot to do, plus I’m exhausted from an errand. I just – wanted to say hi.”

They held each other’s gazes awhile until heat built up in their chests and traveled to their heads. Despite this, they both played it cool, a most challenging task under the circumstances.

“Hi,” was the only word Kuvira could say to follow up.

“I met Bae by the way,” Opal said.

Kuvira’s eyes widened and she controlled every muscle in her body from reacting.

“Oh?”

“Yes. She told me what happened.”

Kuvira looked at the floor. “I see.”

“I just wanted to say – I don’t think anyone else in this world would have done what you did – taking away your own bending like that. It’s extreme but also really really… cool.”

The former Great Uniter looked up, wondering if her ears deceived her. Her chest and stomach fluttered.

Opal couldn’t keep herself from smiling. “And one more thing,” she said. “I missed you.”

Kuvira wasn’t sure how to respond or what was going on. A flying lemur monkey flew in and perched at the windowsill. The two women turned toward the lemur who ate a piece of fruit it had brought with it.

When Kuvira turned her head back to the door, Opal was gone.

“I missed you too,” Kuvira whispered.

The lemur finished its snack and flew off.


	26. Dark Avatar, Light Avatar

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's a heavy day here in the U.S., but I'm pressing on. It's going to get a little dark here, but we're building toward the epic endgame

Korra went to watch Bolin do one of his street performances with Pabu and special guest Sanyu at the Firelord Zuko statue in Republic City Square. Zuko’s massive metal likeness held the eternal flame aloft as Bolin and Pabu did their warm up stretches at the base; they both wore fake mustaches to add an air of charming mystery. Sanyu crossed her arms and leaned on one hip, reveling in their silliness and strange customs. 

Mako was already there, rolling his eyes at his brother. Aside from Korra and passersby, he was their only audience.

“Get this over with Bolin.” Mako looked at his watch.

“Shhh. Talent takes time,” Bolin said, unaffected by his brother. He twirled his fake mustache. “Besides, isn’t it your day off? I can tell because your hair is all ‘poof’ at the front again.”

Bolin knew his brother too well. Mako patted his hair carefully. To get this casual look took lots of care and moose. 

Korra and Sanyu shared a knowing look. The brothers were cute together. Had to admit that.

“So, no Asami?” Bolin looked around to see if she was merely arriving late.

“Nope, sorry buddy; she’s caught up,” Korra said. 

“Wow, that woman doesn’t stop! That’s why I’m really feeling the life of an air nomad. The whole ‘time to enjoy the present’ thing really gets me here.” Bolin patted his heart and looked at Sanyu, who blushed beneath her ebony skin. 

“Maybe we should get started then eh?” she said.

“Right!” Bolin clapped his hands together and cleared his throat. “Gather round folks (folks being Mako and Korra) to witness the one, the only Pabu! C’mon little buddy; do your thing!” 

Pabu did flips and spins along a pre-made obstacle course, his fluffy orange and red-striped tail curving to the movements, until he finished his routine and collected a treat waiting for him in Bolin’s hand.

“All right Pabu!” Bolin said, more excited about his companion’s feat than anyone else there. He was his Fire Ferret’s number one fan. 

They all clapped and Pabu bowed. 

Next came the new routine, the one Bolin had rehearsed with Sanyu. For dramatic effect, he ripped off his top layer of clothing to reveal a jumpsuit resembling his swim attire, his bouldering muscles rippling through the fabric. He flexed and smiled and winked, cowlick dangling at his forehead. 

Korra laughed. Bolin imitated strong guys, but he was also one of them. And strong guys didn’t always have to show their strength by making others submit, by putting them down. They could lift things – and people – up too. So, that’s what Bolin did.

He earthbended two perfectly round stone boulders, artistic fixtures and monoliths that had taken a team of benders to transport and mold. The spherical stones moved toward him, and Korra and Mako ducked their heads out of the way before the boulders stopped suddenly in front of Bolin. He lifted them like heavy reps, then juggled them high in the air, eventually bringing one more stone into the rotation.

Steadying himself, he sent the boulders back from where they came, using postures he picked up on the street and through pro-bending rather than traditional tiger crane movements. When this was done, he settled the chi within himself with his hands moving slowly downward as he exhaled slowly through his nose.

The crowd cheered. More than a few folks had gathered after the previous display.

“For our final act, I invite the one, the only Sanyu to the stage.”

The stage was the floor at their feet. Bolin held out his hand and Sanyu took it, and in the next moment, he lifted her up, spinning her as she contorted her body in different ways. Korra was awestruck by their chemistry, the way they seemed to lock into a rhythm. 

Finally, Bolin lifted her up and she stood on tiptoes with one leg extended one-hundred and eighty degrees upward. She used airbending and a steady core to maintain balance. Pabu climbed up both of them, encircling the two until he balanced on Sanyu’s foot. They looked as if they were trying to reach the top of the statue or create their own. 

Pabu came down, followed by Sanyu, who flipped in the air and floated down gracefully. She was an airbender after all, though her style was distinctly from her culture which was not on the map, a location she would never reveal to anyone – except for maybe one.

Truly impressed, Makorra clapped and woo’d. Mako tossed a yuan into a hat that was placed upon the floor. A few other onlookers followed suit, and Korra grabbed whatever was in her pocket and tossed it in. All she had was a thick silver piece, but it wasn’t like money had ever been an object to her. 

To Bolin and Mako, it was an object. It meant the difference between whether or not they ate as orphan boys living on the street – either that or they had to resort to pulling jobs for the Triple Threat Triads. Korra also didn’t realize it was poor show to vastly out-tip the rest. It was arrogant and uncomely of an Avatar. At any rate, her head had been elsewhere lately.

Korra meant to talk to Tenzin shortly after returning from The Southern Air Temple, but she found herself avoiding Air Temple Island all together. In fact, she had all but secluded herself in recent days and was relieved that Asami had lately become a workaholic. She didn’t want to scare Asami away with the dark thoughts racing through her mind. All of the worry and shame and worthlessness weighed her down. And they hadn’t been intimate since the races. 

But the Avatar had resolved not to let anyone see her like that, not again. Not after her three years as a pathetic nobody, a woman who couldn’t win a street fight against a random earthbender. And she was the Avatar!

“Korra you OK?” Mako said. 

“Hmm? Yea. I’m fine. Lost track a moment.” She broke from a dark day dream that seemed to play over and over in her mind lately.

“You sure?” Bolin chimed in. He had also noticed Korra slip away for a second into a sad reverie.

“Why does everyone keep asking me if I’m OK? I’m fine! I’m the Avatar!” Korra’s chest puffed and the eternal flame at the tip of the statue shot outward in a dangerous display. The flame went out and she said “Oops.” 

Mako noticed something then in the irises of her deep blue eyes. It was subtle but seemed to glow fiery in that moment, brief enough for others not to notice. He could have sworn he’d seen that shape before. But the eternal flame going out distracted him.

“I don’t know what’s going on with you, but something’s off.” And I’m going to get to the bottom of it, he thought.

“Hey you! You can’t just blow out the eternal flame!” An officer on duty called from across the square.

“Whoops, look at the time.” Bolin didn’t own a watch. Either way it was time to skedaddle. “Catch you guys later!”

The last thing Mako wanted to do was run from the police but it was better than explaining and making a ruckus. He shot a flame back in Zuko’s statue’d hand and ran with Korra in the opposite direction of Bolin and Sanyu.

They managed to ditch the cops and ducked into an alley to catch their breath. Korra was on an adrenaline high.

“Whoa, Mako! Didn’t’ think you had it in you to run from your buddies.”

“Don’t get too excited. Those aren’t my buddies. A lot of those guys got it out for me on the force. Think I’m too goody goody or whatever.” Mako looked around in case anyone else caught up to them.

“You really are though.” Korra nudged him.

“What? Me? No!! I’m just… responsible is all. I had to take care of me and Bolin on the street a long time.”

“Not to mention boring – in the street and elsewhere,” Korra said haphazardly, rolling her eyes and yawning. She felt emboldened, adrenaline rushing to her head and throughout her body.

Mako’s first instinct was to defend himself, but he remembered the tiny shape in Korra’s eye and his memory flashed to the same symbol he saw elsewhere – on Chai Son’s ring. His detective brain turned on again.

“You’re not yourself. We’re gonna get to the bottom of this.” 

“Whaddya mean I’m not myself. I’m always myself. Whether I’m the Avatar or not.” Korra slurred, punching Mako’s arm with heat coming off of her fist.

“Ow watch it.” Mako recoiled, burn marks settling into his sleeve. He noticed Korra sweating profusely and placed the back of his hand against her forehead. “Korra you’re burning up!”

“No you are!” She fell over.

“That didn’t make sense! Either way, I’m getting you outta here.”

“Flameo hotman! See what I mean? Can’t take a joke like an old fuddy-duddy.”

Mako swooped Korra up and carried her out to the end of the alley. She noticed Bolin and Sanyu’s blurred figures approaching them before losing consciousness.

*

Korra opened her eyes to see Mako, Bolin, and Sanyu leaning over her. Her head pounded; her body felt heavy and sore as if she had spent a wild night drinking. She groaned, wiped her eyes.

“Where am I?” 

“We’re still in the alley,” Mako said, relieved to see Korra come to.

“We haven’t lost you to the dark abyss!” Bolin squeezed Korra in a tight embrace and melodramatic display of happiness she was alive.

“What are you talking about? How long was I out?” Korra sat up; she was genuinely confused. “I don’t remember anything that happened after your performance.”

“Not long but long enough to scare us,” Mako said. “You were acting strange… and mean. Then you started slurring your words, overheated, and passed out. Bolin and Sanyu found us here.”

Bolin chimed in: “We were just about to call for help. Tenzin and Asam—” 

“No!” Korra said. “I mean… I don’t want to burden them yet. If I can figure this out first, maybe it won’t matter.”

Korra forced herself to stand. She felt a little woozy but shook it off and felt relatively normal again.

“OK what is this? Is there something you’re not telling us?” Mako folded his arms. 

Korra felt backed into a corner but soon loosened her guard, deciding it was better to come clean. Sanyu felt a personal moment coming up among Team Avatar, and while she got along just fine with the rest of them, she didn’t want to impose. 

She pulled Bolin to the side. “If help is not needed, I’m going back to the temple.”

“OK then. That was fun though – I mean until Korra got all scary.” Bolin laughed weakly.

Sanyu smiled and kissed Bolin on the cheek; he blushed a deep red, little hearts floating out of his head into the air. She turned and blew off with the wind, bouncing lightly from roof to roof in the direction of the ferry.

Korra spilled everything to them then – what happened after Harmonic Convergence, what she had been going through lately, how she felt isolated and lonely, even from the ones she loved the most. She felt herself sinking deeper into a dark place – the worst part was she couldn’t tell if it was Vaatu dragging her down or her own dark thoughts and insecurities.

“Don’t worry. We’ll figure this out. We got your back no matter what. This is Team Avatar we’re talking about.” Mako said sincerely.

“Yeahhh! Team Avatar!” Bolin cheered.

They brought it in for a sappy hug and Korra enjoyed her friends before realizing Team Avatar was missing one very important member. She really did want Asami there more than anything but didn’t feel this incident was big enough to tear her girlfriend away from her busy schedule. She was a big time CEO after all, and Korra, though the Avatar, felt more and more useless every day in the modern world. She caught herself beginning to spiral again and tried to shake it off. 

“Chai Son!” Mako said abruptly.

That was the last name Korra wanted to hear. “What about him?” 

“You said he was a phony – I thought you were just jealous at first, but you might not be wrong. He wears a pinky ring; there’s a symbol on it. I swear I saw it flash in your eyes earlier.”

“Is it still there!?” 

Mako and Bolin leaned in to examine Korra’s Water Tribe blue eyes, as deep as oceans and night sky. There was much to see in those eyes, but no trace of a symbol.

“It’s not, but I know what I saw. Let’s get out of here. I know a guy who might be able to help,” Mako said. 

*

By the time they pulled up to Republic City High in Mako’s motorcycle, the dark night and bright waxing gibbous moon had long settled in the sky. It happened that Korra rode side car while Bolin sat behind Mako, cradling and leaning into his brother’s torso. A sign on the front lawn read: “Enter all who seek knowledge.”

“That’s us. C’mon,” Mako said. 

“Why are we at a high school?” Korra said. She had never been to high school, and neither did Mako or Bolin for that matter.

“There’s a librarian here who might be able to tell about the symbol. He’s helped me occasionally with some of my stranger cases.” 

Mako walked with urgency. The others followed him through the double doors of the school. Lockers with stickers of bands and hand-painted posters that read “Go Flying Boars!” adorned the hallways.

“Wow, lockers!” Bolin said, entranced by the simple things in life. “I always wanted one of those.”

“Bo, stay focused.” Mako on the other hand, remained steadfast on their mission.

“Fuddy-duddy,” Bolin whispered to Korra loudly and the two chuckled. 

They came upon the swinging doors leading into the library. It was a quaint little one-and-a-half-storied thing with stacks of books and scrolls organized neatly on tall bookcases. That is, except for the massive table at the center, which was covered in open books and scrolls strewn about. Two teenagers sat at the table with their heads buried in a respective book. 

A redheaded girl wearing red and black overalls looked up and noticed the three adults enter the library, one of them resembling the Avatar, another a famous mover star, and the other some guy who came off sort of like a square.

The other teenager, a boy who appeared to be half-wolf spirit, also looked up as the librarian came out his office, steaming cup of tea in one hand, book in the other. The spectacled gentleman was tall with strong bone structure and wore a dull green tweed vest and a button up shirt with the sleeves rolled up. He appeared to be in his early-to-mid forties.

“Mako. It’s been awhile chap. And Avatar Korra. And… Nuktuk? What brings you here this evening.” The librarian knew Mako and recognized the others.

“We need your help,” Mako got right to the point. “It has to do with Avatar Korra here.”

Korra bowed and the librarian bowed back. The redhead waved shyly and the spirit boy nodded his head coolly.

Korra became painfully aware of the teenagers and signaled not so subtly toward them as if to say she didn’t feel comfortable spilling this information in front of them.

Bolin, meantime had ambled over to the table and noticed the open books and pictures of what looked like dark spirits and all manner of things that go bump in the night. He gasped and recoiled. What sort of kinky stuff did this group get into at night?

The other two were quiet as well. It appeared they held their tongues in a mutual standoff of poorly kept secrets.

The librarian removed his glasses and wiped them with a rag in his pocket, put them back on.

“Um, yes, of c-course,” He stuttered in the polite lilt of the educated classes. “Please, won’t you step into my office.

Mako and Korra followed the librarian behind the checkout counter to a small room adorned with a desk, ancient artifacts, and dozens of bound journals; Bolin stayed outside with the teenagers. 

Once the door was closed, Mako pulled out a napkin from his pocket. On it, he had drawn the symbol he saw in Korra’s eye and Chai Son’s ring. 

The librarian examined the symbol. It did not seem completely foreign to him. “And this has… affected you, Avatar Korra? Tell me, what has it done?”

“I don’t know. I’m so confused lately,” Korra said. She came clean again, this time to a stranger she just met. “I’m infected by Vaatu, the dark spirit. It’s inside of me, along with Raava. Both of them, swirling around. And it hurts.” She realized the truth and weight of the last statement as she said it.

“You poor child. You’ll have to deal with this, unless… ah! Ah!” It appeared a lightbulb went off in his head and he left the room, grabbed one of the open books on the table and flipped to a specific page as he walked back. He slammed the book onto his desk, revealing the symbol.

Mako’s eyes widened and picked up the book to examine the symbol closely. “That’s it!” he said.

“It’s a secret occult society. A lot of those have been cropping up lately seeking to revive the old ways while knowing nothing about what that actually means. Amateurs playing at spells and sorcery, trying to control the elements by supernatural means. Oh dear, the worst of it is what I feared,” the librarian said.

“What?!” Makorra said dumbfounded. The worst of it?

The librarian removed his glasses and leaned in closer to the two. “Do you think harmonic convergence brought together only the spirit and material worlds? Let me tell you, there’s a lot more than just those two worlds – and there ARE things that go bump in the night.”

Korra remembered what the dogfish spirit had said to her when she and Kuvira traveled to the Spirit World. The Avatar was the bridge between these two worlds, but there was much more out there, infinitely more. 

“So we take out these guys, we save Korra?” Mako said.

“Possibly, but it’s not that simple. We have two different issues here. Well, three.” The librarian walked over to his secretary in the corner of the office and pulled out a fine bottle of fire whiskey, pouring himself a glass. He took a sip, then chugged the whole thing and breathed out hot air. He inhaled fresh air and continued: “One, Raavaatu are fused once again and that has nothing to do with these amateur occultists. Two, these amateur occultists are extremely dangerous because they don’t know what they’re doing and are messing with powerful forces they think they can control. And three – the end of the world. It’s nigh.”

“What?!!” Makorra said again in unison. Here were two people not so elegant with words. 

“I’m afraid so,” the librarian said. 

“How nigh?” Korra said, though she had a gut feeling she knew the answer.

“The Earth Moon in less than a week. The full moon lasts three days. By the end of the third day, we won’t know what will happen exactly. The text is unclear – a translation of a translation of a translation.” 

Korra could feel panic settling in. “I don’t know what any of that means! The end of the world?”

“We don’t have enough information to say anything definite yet. That’s what the prophecy said, but it could also very well translate to…” The librarian caught himself before saying more and Korra ran out of patience. 

“Tell me!” She demanded, gripping his collar with one hand and raising him off his feet. Her eyes flickered white then red and the foundation beneath them shook before she put him down. 

Mako was frightened by this display. The others darted their eyes toward the office and Korra realized her mishap. She was losing control more and more often.

The librarian adjusted his glasses and gulped. “It could also mean the end of the Avatar. But it’s really all up in the air.”

“And what are y’all doing here huh?” Mako also found himself getting worked up, feeling offended for his friend, Korra, the Avatar, who was going through something he could never understand.

The librarian looked out to the kids on the other side of the office window, who seemed to be getting on well with Bolin. “If Korra’s the bridge between the spirit and material worlds, consider us the bridge between the material world and what’s underneath. The rest of our gang is out patrolling as we speak.” He fixed his collar. “And another thing, I expect the utmost discretion, as I will be of your plight.”

Korra shivered. This was all too much. What more could there possibly be?

“Oh and Korra, there’s something I’ve been meaning to tell you,” Mako said. “I’ve been following Chai Son awhile now, ever since he first made headlines last year with Asami and Varrick; remember that?”

Korra gritted her teeth. She didn’t appreciate the reminder.

“Anyway,” Mako continued, “the force has been investigating bootleggers smuggling in cactus juice and doling them out at speakeasys all throughout Republic City. The case ended up getting dropped a long time ago, but before it did, I connected it back to Chai Son. And Varrick. And… Asami.” 

“But that doesn’t mean anything,” Korra found herself immediately defending Asami before she wanted to hear more. “They’re business partners. And Varrick is just – who knows about that guy?”

“I know. I know,” Mako said. “Still. I’d watch her, at least to make sure she doesn’t get in any deeper with these cats.”

“All of this is speculation yet,” the librarian tried to console the Avatar. He didn’t know most of what Mako was talking about but could see how things could go either way.

Korra felt crushed and alone. She came up with a rash idea then, one that would hopefully take care of her problem for good. 

“Is there a way to get rid of it? Get rid of Vaatu and send it somewhere… else?” She asked with an air of desperation to her voice.

The librarian paused and rubbed his temple. “When I was young – about your age – I fell in with a group like those occultists I described. It’s how I know about it. We were idiots, but we were powerful idiots. The answer is yes, in theory.” 

“Great. Do it,” Korra said with finality then.

“But –”

“Your Avatar needs you.” She pulled the Avatar card, but desperate times called for such measures.

Minutes later they exited the stuffy office to the cool air of the library. Korra, Mako, and the librarian carried solemn faces. 

Bolin at first was none the wiser.

“Hey guys, this kid here just told me how he became a wolf spirit boy. Such a great tale, long story though.”

“A spirit passed through me,” the boy said nonchalantly, shrugging.

“Apparently not that long.” Bolin smiled and finally caught onto vibe the others carried out of the office. 

The redhead looked concerned and before she could ask what the matter was, the librarian instructed her: “Prepare a circle.”

*

Meantime, somewhere in Republic City, robed figures stood in a circle around a fire, chanting in an ancient tongue and holding up earthen chalices of fluorescent green cactus juice. They gulped down their drinks in unison. 

One of the figures, Chai Son, broke away from the circle and approached a scared little koala sheep, which was tied up nearby. He unsheathed his cane to reveal a needle-like sword. 

“Accept our sacrifice!” He closed his eyes, chanted something with the others repeating in unison, and skewered the sheep. A stream of blood traveled toward the fire, causing the flames to spit and crackle in an array of bright colors.


	27. Guided by Spirits

The librarian and teenagers moved the large table where they were researching the macabre aside, and pulled away the rug underneath it to reveal a symbol painted on the floor with five points.

“Republic City is a now soft place between worlds, the spirit portal offering only a definite passageway to the beyond,” the librarian began. He was focused in manner and spirit. 

The teenagers and Mako and Bolin stood around with candles and the redhead, a firebender, came around and lit them before returning back to her spot. Bolin was visibly spooked by the whole affair, but he toughened up to support his buddy Korra, who had been positioned in the center.

“How are you able to do this? Who are you?” Korra found herself wavering. 

“I was a professor of Anthropology at Ba Sing Se University until after Harmonic Convergence, when I relocated to Republic City.” The librarian splashed scented oil and water on the Avatar. “By an ancient order, I’m duty bound to protect this realm, and my charge. In essence, I’m a seer.”

“What’s that? Your charge?” Korra should have asked these questions before promptly jumping headlong into an exorcism. 

“He’s an earthbender with subtler powers,” the firebending teenager said.

Meantime, wolfspirit boy remained taciturn, an almost Zenlike calm keeping him grounded.

Korra and the brothers wondered what subtler powers meant, especially Bolin, an earthbender himself.

“It means I can feel soft spaces between realms, and I can create pockets of worlds to hide or store things in, including – theoretically – dark spirits.” The librarian cleared his throat, pointed at the symbol on the floor. “the four points at the side represent the four elements – earth, air, fire, water. The fifth point is spirit; sometimes we see it represented as metal. We will focus on that point to exercise Vaatu.”

“Then it’ll be like stuffing Vaatu under a rug, kinda like this symbol?” Mako said. 

“So to speak, yes,” the librarian confirmed.

“I have an idea of what you’re going to say next,” Korra began. She was the Avatar long enough to see it coming. “I must exercise Vaatu myself.”

The librarian nodded. “Indeed, and I will create a pocket for you to send him to. No one here is nearly powerful enough to siphon Vaatu out of you, your reflexes alone could trigger the Avatar state and destroy the building. You’re like an unstable ticking time bomb -- your spiritual energy is all over the place.”

“What does that mean?” Korra said.

“Your spiritual defense weakens the sicker you become in mind and body. And it creates a feedback loop, a self-fulfilling prophecy. It can be quite dangerous for someone as powerful as you.” 

“How human,” wolfboy said. “Well, except for all that epic Avatar stuff.”

The librarian nodded. “As above, so below.”

“As within, so without,” Korra found herself saying. She shuddered at the thought of what was within her.

“Let’s begin before the candles melt,” the Librarian said. 

Everyone in the room steadied themselves for the ritual, and the librarian took slow, powerful breaths, performing an earthbending style that none of Team Avatar recognized, though its movements seemed to blend air and earth forms. The librarian spoke as he moved.

“In the beginning, there was chaos, oneness. The elements separated, heavy material falling to create the earth and lighter, subtler elements floating above to create sky.”

“Yin and Yang,” Korra said then, remembering the spiritual training she received from Tenzin.

A pocket the size of an oval plate formed and Bolin and Mako’s jaws opened wide, sweat gathering on Bolin’s brow. 

“This feels creepyyyyy,” Bolin mumbled to his brother, though the others had heard.

Korra felt something stir within her and the scene of creation played out before her consciousness, both spirits now present to balance the point of view they projected. Realization hit Korra and she took a step back, clutching her chest. “I changed my mind. I can’t – won’t. I’m sorry to have wasted your time. I just –”

“Korra look out!” Mako yelled, pushing her out the way just in time before the librarian opened up a pocket beneath her feet.

Bolin steadied himself for action, and the teenagers seemed even more surprised than Team Avatar.

“What’s going on!?” Mako yelled. He and Korra joined Bolin and got into fighting stances as if they were about to begin a pro-bending match.

“We have to put the Avatar away until after the Harvest Moon!” the librarian snarled. 

“How long after?” Korra replied. Though she meant to say something harsher, she was curious. 

“Just until after the third day of the Harvest Moon.” Though the librarian had tricked them, he stopped lying out of remorse for what he almost did to seemingly good people. “But since there’s no time in these portals – to you it would feel like an eternity.”

“You were going to trap the Avatar in a cage forever? That could drive her insane!” The firebender girl was incredulous.

“What she said!” Mako added.

“Rad,” the wolfspirit boy said.

Korra was two shakes of a koala sheep’s tail away from freaking out; she needed a quick exit plan. “Not really a fan of hiding out in another dimension for seeming eternity. Too long a time for my taste, so we’re gonna take off. Bye now!” 

The three of them backed away toward the door, still in fighting stances.

“You mustn’t go back out there!” the librarian called. 

Remembering her power and who she was – the Avatar – she stood her ground and took an intimidating step forward, wind billowing around her for dramatic effect: “Don’t make me put you down. I will if I have to.” 

The librarian and teenagers stood frozen, powerless against the Avatar and her friends. Something in her tone told them she meant it too.

Korra turned and left the school in a hurry, stopping briefly at Mako’s motorbike to dig something out.

“Korra, where you headed?” Mako called, chasing after her with Bolin following closely behind.

“I need to see Tenzin.” Korra said. She grabbed her staff out of Mako’s side car and opened up the sides, transforming it into an air glider. Then she ran a few paces to get some momentum and jumped off into the night.

Mako and Bolin watched Korra fly off.

“It’s OK, don’t worry about us non airbenders. We’ll meet you there! Just go ahead and fly off Avatar style!” Bolin turned to Mako. “Did she always carry that staff today or am I just being silly?”

“You’re silly. Now let’s go.” Mako started the motorbike with Bolin sitting side car, and they bounded toward the ferry.

*

Korra landed on the roof of Tenzin and Pema’s bedroom with a thud. The old married couple, who were fast asleep, jolted awake. Reflexively, Tenzin shielded his wife, preparing to defend and deflect intruders. But in the next moment, he let out a heavy sigh and relaxed his shoulders as Korra appeared at the window.

“Korra?” Tenzin said. “What are you doing here? Everything OK?”

Pema yawned but became alert in a flash, immediately thinking of her children’s safety.

“No. I mean yes. I mean no… but we’re not in immediate danger,” Korra spoke in a hushed tone through the window. 

Relieved, Pema relaxed into Tenzin’s arms again. 

“But it is sort of an emergency – I need to speak to Tenzin. Please,” Korra continued. 

“Of course.” Tenzin got up. The tall, bald airbender was wearing long johns. 

Korra recoiled, her cheeks turning red. “Uh, I’m going to wait by the gazebo.”

Tenzin looked down and blushed, covered himself, hobbled off; meantime, Korra was already halfway to the gazebo. 

Not long later, the old airbending master and son of Avatar Aang appeared fully robed, red cape billowing behind him. Korra was waiting there, brooding into the dark horizon during this breezy witching hour. She shivered, but not because she was cold.

“I messed up. I should have told you.” Korra bowed to greet Tenzin then draped her arms around him. 

“Told me what?” He patted her back, waiting for her to reveal the root of her strange behavior.

“That I’m not the same Avatar I was. I’m different. And now, the world is going to end because of me.”

Tenzin wondered if she was being melodramatic. She wasn’t a teenager anymore but this incarnation of the Avatar did a lot of brooding. 

“Now now. Of course you’re not the same. Seasons change and revolve. And the world is not going to end because of you.”

Korra wasn’t making herself clear enough and took a deep breath before, for the third time that day, she began her tale of her inner plight, of Vaatu, and of the Harvest Moon.

“Oh,” Tenzin said. He stroked his beard pensively. “And your decision is to –” 

“Leave them fused.” Korra gulped, afraid of what Tenzin might say.

The airbending master was silent again for a long while before he spoke. “The material and spiritual worlds have rejoined through Harmonic Convergence because of you and your decision to keep the portals open, and Air Nomads have repopulated the Earth. It appears the dark and light spirits have rejoined as well. Perhaps it was meant to be. But what about the prophecy?”

“It’s unclear what it really means – but my Avatar instincts tell me this is the right thing to do. If I can bring balance to my own world, maybe I can better understand what that looks like to the outside.” 

Tenzin was touched and proud of the newfound wisdom his boulder-headed Avatar exhibited.

“It appears you don’t need me anymore. Regardless of what happens over the next week, I feel your decision is wise and brave. It is time for to me to follow my Avatar, rather than the other way around.”

“You’re wrong.” Korra shook her head. “I know this, and yet I still feel somewhere between useless and a liability – and especially now. I’m full of contradiction.”

“You mean you’re human?” Tenzin said in a gentle tone that had a fatherly edge to it.

“Yes, and humans need each other. I need people I care about and love around me, especially if I’m really a new kind of Avatar. The hardest thing to do in this world is live in it. But it’s a lot easier with people I love. Speaking of which… Asami!”

The Avatar realized she hadn’t seen her girlfriend in over twenty-four hours. Asami had been working late and sometimes stayed overnight at her office. Tonight, she had a business function, and Korra forgot all about it. 

“Is Asami in danger?” Tenzin became alert, ready for action if need be.

Korra appreciated Tenzin’s reaction for Asami. “No I don’t think she’s in immediate danger. I hope not anyway. But wait, if she’s with Chai Son, then –”

The Avatar jumped on the rail of the gazebo and popped out her glider. 

“Settle down. Even so, I have a feeling she can handle herself.”

Korra smiled. “Damn right she can. And there’s still some stuff I gotta work out with her too. Like why Mako thinks she’s connected with a bootlegger bust from a year ago. Anyway, like I said, I don’t think she’s in immediate danger. If I don’t hear from her tomorrow, then I’ll tear down the city looking for her.”

Tenzin shot Korra a confused look. “That seems a tame reaction for Korra-style Avataring – waiting like that.” 

“What else can I do?” Korra said, feeling simultaneously helpless and relieved at the truth of her statement.

Once again, Tenzin was stunned at Korra’s wisdom. He offered a suggestion: “We can prepare for the Harvest Moon.”

Korra slapped her forehead. “Kyoshi! I should have stayed at the Southern Air Temple!”

Tenzin smiled. It appeared he still had something to teach Korra after all. “You mustn’t concern yourself with what was. You must act on what is.”

“Monk Gyatso said that,” though the words had gone over her head at the time she remembered them at the temple. She thought of the librarian again. “The librarian guy wanted to lock me away in some timeless pocket dimension until after the Harvest Moon. But what if he was onto something?”

“No way am I going to allow that maniac to send you somewhere to drive you mad. And who knows what chaos that action alone could rain down on the Earth?” Tenzin was worked up at the stupidity of the suggestion.

“I mean, what if we locked me away – somewhere where I won’t have access to any of the elements. Muzzle me, chain me up, tie me in a straight jacket?”

The suggestion sounded horrific, but he considered. “Platinum chains perhaps.”

“Not platinum. Kuvira taught me how to bend that.” Korra said, realizing she had also kept that information from her airbending master.

“What?! I need to know these things!” Tenzin took a few deep calming breaths before continuing. “That changes things. And also, that’s wonderful. You’re the first platinum-bending Avatar. So what can’t you bend?”

“Gold.” Korra said after considering a moment, adding, “Last I checked, no one can.”

“Is it possible to fashion gold chains in such short notice? Has anyone in the history of locking people up, used gold to do it?” he said.

Korra shook her head. She had no idea. “Maybe we’re getting worked up for nothing. Maybe it’ll go away if we ignore it.”

Tenzin didn’t have a response; he had hoped Korra was joking.

Mako and Bolin came running up, out of breath.

“We made it!” Bolin said.

“Finally,” Korra replied.

“So what’s the sitch?” Mako said. 

“The sitch is get some sleep.” Korra needed rest before she could make any more decisions, but before she left, she glanced at Tenzin. “Can you look into the gold shackles tomorrow? Or you, Mako?” He was a cop, so maybe?

Tenzin nodded and Mako was trying to catch up with the convo when Korra opened her staff again and sailed off into the night toward her country home.

It only took Mako and Bolin an hour to catch up to the Avatar, who left as soon as they arrived, but no big deal.

*

At the Southern Air Temple, Kuvira lay under a fir tree reading the Golden Heart Technique scroll for the thousandth time. She had kept it close ever since receiving it from the widower and his daughter, who took her in and saved her life. It was more valuable than anything she owned, her daggers, everything.

The scroll was written as a set of esoteric philosophical principles, instructions for meditation, and techniques for purification; likewise, it showed drawings of specific positions and movements. Kuvira had a hard time understanding it fully, finding something new to contemplate and unravel with each read. 

As for purification techniques, the bodily ones were straightforward enough; but it was the spiritual ablutions she could not fully grasp and perhaps never would – some types of wisdom were beyond her and she was fine with it.

She poured over the movements in her minds’ eye, making the motions with her fists and eventually standing up and going through them outright, her body in alignment with her mind in alignment with her spirit. Had she still been a bender, the stones would dance around with her, moving in tune to her rhythms because rhythm was a universal principle, and bending tuned into set rhythms.

Even though she was a nonbender, Kuvira went through the motions, feeling it strengthen her core, conditioning her mind and spirit. 

After finishing the routine, she bowed to the craggy mountainscape that looked like a painting from a period long past. In the corner of her eye, she saw a massively tall figure holding a fan up to conceal part of her face. It looked like… Kyoshi. 

Kuvira blinked and the figure was gone, replaced by Opal who walked leisurely in Kuvira’s direction with a book in hand.

The former Great Uniter straightened up and tried extra hard to relax. 

“At ease soldier,” Opal said teasingly as she walked by and sat at the base of the tree. She opened her book and began to read, ignoring Kuvira.

Kuvira cleared her throat and stood with arms akimbo at Opal, who looked up. “Yes?”

“So is this a thinly veiled excuse to get my attention? Because it’s working,” Kuvira said.

Opal snapped the book shut and stood with her arms crossed behind her back, smiling. “Yes. It is. But also, this is incidentally my favorite reading spot.”

“You mean outta all the reading spots on this mountain, I walked into yours?”

“Well I don’t own it but…” the tone of her voice changed to something softer, intimate. “I’m happy to share.”

“For once.” Kuvira winked, harking back to all those times they fought over toys growing up.

Opal hit Kuvira’s arm playfully.

“By the way, the new look --- suits you.” Opal sighed, making an OK symbol with her hand.

“What? The ‘I only own one outfit, wash my hair once every two weeks, and hide out from the lawr’ look?”

Opal nodded, maintaining eye contact with Kuvira. 

“Thanks, I try. Really hard actually.”

“I know you do. That’s why I like you.”

“You like me?” Kuvira found herself inching her way toward Opal, feeling the airbender’s shallow breaths as their bodies came as close as they could without touching.

“It took a while, but I do. And Bae too.”

Kuvira inhaled sharply and took a step back. “Why would you say that?”

“Because I’ve seen her sulking around the temple these past few days and I know you – you’re not going to chase after her to apologize,” Opal said, crossing her arms.

“You’re right. But worry not. Once someone wins my loyalty, they keep it. Bae is a very special woman. She deserves happiness.”

“I know that too – well about the loyalty,” Opal said. She found herself getting jealous seeing the way Kuvira talk about Bae. But then seeing the way Kuvira looked at her made her feel like the only other girl in the world.

“What about us? Are we going to talk – for real?” Kuvira looked at the ground before gathering up the courage to look Opal in the eyes again but found the other woman also kept her gaze at the ground.

“Sure we can.” Opal appreciated Kuvira’s straightforwardness. “But I feel like you have nothing to explain to me. Everything you’ve done this past year, taking your bending, leaving – it was all for something that made you who you are now. I can’t tell you how different you look, but you’re still absolutely yourself, I don’t know how to describe it.”

“That was a good start,” Kuvira beckoned.

“Well for one, you were hot before, but Spirits, you should see yourself now.”

Opal was naturally good with words from reading voraciously growing up but had lost them suddenly.

Meantime, all Kuvira could think about at this moment was kissing Opal’s pretty little lips, but she controlled herself. 

“Are you trying to get into my pantaloons?” Kuvira husked.

“Maybe one day…” Opal smiled. 

Kuvira felt herself getting worked up in her chest and loins, her head light. She had to ground herself on this high mountain where airbenders lived to stay focused.

“I look forward to that day –” 

Opal interrupted all of Kuvira’s thoughts when she took Kuvira’s hand and stood on her tiptoes to kiss her cheek. When she pulled back, she found their hands still lingered there, bodies electric to the touch.

Lifting up the book in her other hand, Opal said “Would you like me to read to you?”

Kuvira nodded, lost for words.

They strolled back to the base of the tree and Kuvira leaned against it with Opal finding a nook in her lean yet supple body. Opal read with Kuvira looking over her shoulder at the words but more often than not watching her read, inhaling the sweet flowery scent of her hair. Sometimes, Opal would catch Kuvira staring at her and playfully pinch the other woman’s chin, moving it back to face the words on the page. 

How long they layed there was beyond either of them – only the setting sun and rising waxing gibbous moon kept the time. Opal eventually fell asleep in Kuvira’s arms, and Kuvira sat there unable, unwilling to move to disturb the other woman’s sleep. 

Not until she once again saw the figure from earlier -- spitting image of Avatar Kyoshi –at the edge of a downward curving hill.

Kuvira wasn’t sure if she was hallucinating, but it seemed Kyoshi’s spirit called her to follow. Kyoshi waved her fan and blew air in Kuvira’s direction, and that’s when the former Great Uniter knew she wasn’t hallucinating.

Gently maneuvering away from Opal, who continued to nap soundly, she walked over the hill toward where Kyoshi beckoned her. At the base of the hill was a faded pathway that was mostly overgrown by local flora. Following it, she wended her way into a cave that took her to the belly of the mountain. 

Ahead of her stood the radiant spirit of Avatar Kyoshi; she was seven feet tall but her spirit seemed to take up even more space.


	28. Full Moon Rising Party

While Korra was off on her adventure with Mako and Bolin, Asami had once again spent the day locked in her office, answering calls, assuring investors that the Satomobile was still a quality vehicle. The embarrassment of losing, and really not even finishing, the big race in Ba Sing Se had sunk in upon her arrival back home to the pile of newspaper headlines disgracing her name. 

Korra of course had tried to console Asami, but the conversation inevitably turned to Chai Son and his failure as a driver. Why should Asami bear the brunt of negative publicity for Chai Son’s mediocracy? A guy like that gets more credit than he deserves, Korra had said. This infuriated Asami deeply, perhaps partially because it was true, but still she found herself defending him.

It was exhausting – the need for Asami to be perfect in the eyes of everyone, even at times Korra. So, over the past few days, she took out her frustration on the person she loved the most by isolating and working herself to the weary bone. It wasn’t difficult – Korra had closed off to her too. It was subtle but nonetheless, she felt it – Korra was afraid of herself, of what she was becoming, and this must have been lonely. Asami wanted to be there for her partner but she couldn’t force her way in; she had to be patient and admittedly that could also get quite lonely. 

This evening Asami had agreed on a late-night outing with Varrick and Chai Son. Though she was exhausted, she thought perhaps she could shake herself out of it by mixing business with pleasure. 

The instructions she received were to wait for a call, which would provide the address and password to a masquerade ball. In the meantime, she got gussied up, twirling her hair in an up-do and dressing in a red and gold formal gown that came up high at the neck and opened at the back. 

Because she was Asami Sato, she happened to have an emergency formal gown lying around her office, but she had to make a call to Daisuke to procure a mask for her – porcelain and bejeweled – which arrived on her desk minutes before the phone rang with the information. The address she knew right away – a country estate outside the city that had a rotating list of powerful renters. The password she wrote down on a napkin she had used to dab her lipstick. 

Asami wanted to invite Daisuke to come along but was instructed this was an exclusive affair that no one without an invitation and password, and especially not the Avatar, could attend. It was likewise understandable Korra would not be invited to these functions – her naive sense of justice, her brashness, her immense spirit she projected into the world took up too much uncomfortable space in luxuriously stuffy places like that. Asami sighed and shuddered, feeling a cold chill sidle up her spine. Those were all things she loved about her Avatar. 

The phone rang once more. 

“Asami Sato speaking.”

“Miss Sato, your ride awaits you,” a man’s voice, her chauffeur, said.

She gathered herself up, did a last check in the mirror, and met her driver downstairs, who held the door open to the luxury Sato Duesenberg.

The estate was about 45 minutes outside of the city, a massive thing surrounded by a platinum gate with a thick wall of bougainvillea hovering over the archway.

Two men in tuxedos and matching masks stood at the gate.

“Password,” one of the masked men said.

From the open window, Asami replied: “Fidelio.” 

The two men nodded and pulled opened the gate, motioning for the car to pull forward. 

They followed the long driveway to a courtyard leading up to the house where other limousines and luxury cars were parked. They were not all Satomobiles. Some were Firerarris, which had made a splash among the rich in recent years, and after winning the Grand Prix, it now reigned supreme. 

The driver came around and opened the door for her.

“Here we go.” Asami put the mask on, which covered the top half of her face, exposing her luscious red lips and stepped out, taking the chauffer’s gloved hand for polite support. 

“Thank you,” she said to the driver, who bowed. She tried to give him a hefty tip but he refused.

“That’s not appropriate. You’re all set,” He said.

“Will you wait for me to return?”

“I’ll wait for however long is appropriate.” 

Asami didn’t know how to interpret that, but either way, she didn’t plan on staying out too late. She missed Korra. It was important for them to have their own respective lives, but suddenly she wished Korra was there with her.

She entered the mansion’s massive foyer where door men checked her coat. From the foyer, a sound emanated – live music, jazz. She walked down the corridor and emerged in a large gallery full of rich people partying, masks and fancy duds and martini glasses filled with fluorescent green cactus juice. A jazz trio of cello, piano, and sax played blindfolded with silk bandanas; twas an impressive feat, playing like that.

People danced or lounged about or laughed maniacally or cried unstoppably, frozen facial expressions etched on the masks somehow making everything OK with the way they glossed over reality.

A masked waiter approached her, one arm behind his back, the other positioning a tray of flutes filled with bubbly champagne. 

“Drink, Madame?”

Asami was not a Madame because she was not married but she didn’t say anything, just nodded and took a flute. She sipped and stood watching the band playing. Korra would have loved this. Maybe she should have pushed for an extra invitation. After all, this didn’t seem so bad. 

Deciding to explore further, she walked passed billowing drapes leading out to the balcony. Steps on either side wound toward a marble fountain where drunken party goers lay about or ran amok like heathens. The glorious waxing gibbous moon, nearly full, hung heavily above them, illuminating the earth about them though simultaneously obscuring the stars.

She continued walking and found herself entering the mansion from another door which lead to a hallway of mirrors and fine art with dark erotic themes. Another sound emanated from one of the rooms as did the smell of smoke, a combination of incense and ember island cigars. She knew one of the scents from anywhere because it reminded Asami of her father. 

Curious, she slowly swung the door open and realized what the sounds were – moaning and screams of pleasure and maybe pain. 

Masked men and women, some with old, saggy, hairy bodies banging models with perky breaks and tight pussies and mysterious faces. She was mortified and intrigued, trying her best to keep her body from betraying her face. 

The room opened up into another room, where masked leather women had men tied up in gold chains, crushing their balls with their heels. Fuck, she thought. 

And in another, a billiard table where no one played pool. They fucked. A woman gripped the eight ball on the table, moaning and breathing heavily with her legs spread as another woman ate her out. 

A male couple leaned opposite the table, hard fucking, causing the whole thing to shake. Asami blushed beneath her mask.

She walked down another hallway leading to a slightly ajar trap door disguised as a seven-foot painting of a voluptuous woman with creamy skin getting her pussy devoured by a monstrously large purple pentapus, the woman’s head angled back and face frozen in ecstasy.

Through the crack she saw cloaked figures chanting something inscrutable in unison; a masked naked woman stood at the center. She felt as if she was seeing something she wasn’t supposed to.

“Excuse me, Miss,” a voice from behind her said calmly.

Asami nearly jumped out of her skin. “Oh, didn’t see or hear you there.”

“Please follow me.” The masked man motioned toward the door.

“What’s going on in there, anyway?” Asami found herself asking.

The man did not respond but headed toward the direction he indicated. Out of curiosity, she followed. She attached the shock button to her glove to be safe though continued on nonchalantly when the gentlemen turned around to check whether she followed.

*

Korra’s house was dark and quiet when she glided in from Air Temple island. She had a lot on her mind, considering all that went down at the library and her subsequent conversation with Tenzin. But at the moment, the one thing that stuck out more than the rest was Asami’s absence. Better wait for morning to do anything because Asami was in no immediate danger, she tried to convince herself. 

She went into the kitchen and grabbed a leftover bun bao which she took heaping bites of, realizing she had forgotten to eat amidst all the hubbub. 

The house was quiet. Too quiet and too empty, and Korra couldn’t stand it; she had to go find Asami. 

Nearly as soon as she got home, she left, flying off toward Sato Tower. She had hoped to find Asami back from her business adventure passed out on her office couch. Korra would tuck Asami's beautiful hair behind her beautiful head gently as she napped; then she'd carry her off to their home. Though why Asami would choose to go back to the office rather than home to Korra's arms did not cross the Avatar's mind; she was following her gut.

Landing at the front steps, she saw Mako there, looking for a way in. 

“I thought cops can’t enter a place without a warrant,” Korra said.

“When someone I care about is possibly in danger, I’m a friend first,” Mako said.

Korra nodded. It appeared they both couldn’t sit still and wait at home for the world to happen to them. In this moment, they had to happen to the world.

“But it’s locked,” Mako continued. “I don’t know how to get in. You don’t happen to have a key do ya?”

“Nope. I could fly up. Or…” Korra took a step back and inhaled deeply before blowing the doors off the hinges. “C’mon.”

They rushed in and rode the elevator up the scores of floors to the top. The double doors to Asami’s office was bolted shut, which Korra punched through. 

Inside was dark and deserted; papers that had rustled and flew about in Korra’s grand entrance fluttered back down to the ground.

“Korra can you try not to make a scene everywhere you go?” Mako said, flipping on the lights.

“No guarantees.” Korra was focused, looking for clues. 

Mako joined in, discovering makeup and street clothes strewn about in front of a mirror. 

“Looks like she was getting ready for something,” he said.

Korra kept looking around, stopping at a napkin that had floated to the floor. She scooped it up and read: “Fidelio.”

“What’s that?” Mako said.

“The napkin has this word written on it in Asami’s handwriting.” She showed Mako the napkin with Fidelio in palmer’s cursive next Asami’s red stained lips. 

Mako studied it: “I have no idea what this means.”

“Me neither.”

“Stop. You can’t be here!” An urgent voice called.

Makorra turned around and saw two guards standing at the entrance of the office. 

“We’re not!” Korra said.

“Yes you are! I see you right there!” One of the guards, the big dumb one said, pointing a thick finger at her. 

“No she’s not!” Mako replied, putting the napkin in his pocket. He turned to Korra and whispered “What next?”

Korra looked out the window toward the spirit portal and moon behind it, which seemed to sink closer to Earth with every passing hour.

“Stop lying to us! You’re under arrest!!” 

“OK, we will. And no, we’re not,” Korra said, backing away toward the window and unlatching it slowly with metalbending.

Mako followed; he could only guess what she was about to do next. The window flapped open.

“Mako grab on!” she said, preparing her glider and launching out the window, with Mako holding onto her for dear life.

They were gliding down down down and away from the pathetic security guards, which Mako saw over Korra’s shoulder. 

They landed in the park near the entrance to the spirit wilds.

“Why are we here?” Mako said.

“Shh, I get a stronger signal here because of the vines.” Korra leaned down and touched one of the roots. A brightly colored light flashed beneath her hand as she closed her eyes, tuning into the location of Asami’s spirit and body that housed it. As soon as she locked on, they recovered Mako’s motorbike and followed the trail. 

About a mile up they parked the bike in the bushes and treaded swiftly toward the estate staying low and out of sight of the occasional passing car. When they arrived, they hung back in the bushes, watching the cars enter the through the front gate; some were dropped off and shuttled to the mansion.

“They’re all in formal wear. Look at us. Even if we managed to sneak in, we’d be caught just like that.” Mako silently snapped his fingers.

“So? I’m the Avatar.”

Mako rolled his eyes. “Yes, and we don’t know who these people are! They’re a different breed Korra. Why do you think the case I’ve tried time and again to reopen kept getting shut down? How do you explain the fact that I’m all but back on traffic duty?”

“But Chief Beifong…”

“Chief Beifong is just Lin now. She resigned, remember? It made headlines.”

“Oh yea,” Korra said. “It’s been a busy year.” She liked Lin a lot more all of the sudden.

“And then she ran off with Kya,” Mako added.

“Whaaaa? How did I miss that?!” Korra blurted out louder than made Mako comfortable.

Two gentlemen looked in their direction briefly, but it was pitch dark in the abyss of the woods, save for when another car pulled up and its headlights reflected the deep blue of Korra’s eyes.

They waited for the car to turn and obscure the men’s view of the woods where they hid and ducked slowly back into the bushes.

Without saying another word, they ambled back, knowing what they had to do – ambush the next car and hope it was a couple that matched their proportions. A mile up, they did just that, Korra hopping down from a tree branch, causing the car to come to a screeching halt, while Mako had his fire daggers out, threatening and pulling the couple out the car to the side of the road.

Korra told them what was what, keeping her icy blue eyes on the driver. Incidentally, she and Mako had obscured their faces with scarves, though Korra’s eyes were distinctly Water Tribe blue and glowed through anything, a tapetum lucidum they had evolved to adjust during long winter nights that lasted months at a time. 

“This is what’s going to happen – you and you take off your clothes,” Korra began, the chill in her voice matching her eyes.

“B-but it’s cold out here.”

“Now.”

“You could at least be a little nice. They didn’t do anything. We’re robbing them,” Mako reminded her.

“Everyone who comes to these are guilty of one thing or another,” Korra said spitefully.

Mako looked at her. “You know who is in there.”

Asami. Korra remembered her mission, trying to sound a little more like she cared about these folks. “Like I said – you and you, clothes off. Please. And we’ll leave you with a blanket if you have any in the car.”

“There’s an afghan,” the woman said, undressing. The husband followed birthday suit save for undergarments.

Korra and Mako dressed in the couple’s clothes and popped on the masks. The dress fit Korra beautifully, her curves and muscles silhouetted in the bedazzled thing. The tuxedo, meantime was too short for Mako. The now naked and trembling man was about five inches shorter. Either way, he had to make it work and pass it off as if he did it on purpose. 

Next thing Korra did surprised Mako. She walked over to the couple and did an airbending move that put them out cold. 

“What was that!?” Mako said incredulously.

“I don’t know. I just came up with it. Now grab the afghan and cover them up.” Korra found her way to the back seat and held a fire dagger to the driver’s neck, addressing him next: “You’re going to drive us to the mansion and stay silent. Silently. No questions.”

The driver nodded and Mako took a seat next to Korra in the back. They pulled up to the gate, said “Fidelio,” and were granted access to the estate.

When the driver pulled up to a dark parking spot, Mako leaned in to say something but Korra couldn’t trust anyone she didn’t know and put him to sleep with the same bending moving from before. Mako gave her a look.

“What? We don’t know for sure if he’s going to immediately run out of here and snitch on us. Besides, he must know I’m the Avatar after that,” Korra said.

“You’re right. Just, wow,” Mako could only reply. 

“He’ll live. Let’s go.” 

The two got out the car and walked straight-backed toward the front door of the mansion and entered.

They went through the motions, though refusing any and all things to drink; this was their first, maybe second mistake. Either way, Korra wouldn’t waste time considering it later because it didn’t matter. To Korra, all that did at that particular moment was Asami. 

*

The mysterious masked man ushered Asami to a back parlor/office with handsome amenities; it was a rich man’s cave. Two masked men sat in thronelike chairs made of mahogany, leaning hither and thither. One of them had a cane; Asami recognized it.

The man who escorted Asami had already gone by the time she remembered he was there. The other two stood up, flauting impeccably tailored tuxes. One wore a mask with a crying face; the other, a laughing face. The laughing face-masked man leaned upon his cane.

“Glad you could make it, beautiful.” He said calmly.

“Hey there Kiddo!” the crying face said with exuberance.

“Varrick and Chai Son?” Asami said. She had recognized their voices and gaits, Varrick’s styled suit, and Chai Son’s shiny cane.

“Duh!” Varrick removed his mask and Chai Son followed cautiously after making sure the door was closed. 

“What sort of party is this?” Asami said, forgetting she herself wore a mask.

“What? You don’t know? You grew up your whole life with your father and you don’t know?” Chai Son said, lighting a cigar.

“What are you talking about?” Asami was starting to connect the dots but needed to hear it out loud.

Chai Son chuckled. “Your father… was a great man. A great, great man. I only hoped I could be half of what he was. Now I realize I could be double. Triple. Exponentially what I ever imagined I could be as a little boy.”

“My father used to come to these?” Asami said.

Chai Son nodded. “Oh yes, and more. That is, until he changed.” 

“What was that going on in the other room – with the orgies and the chanting? What is this place?” Asami needed answers to help her process further.

“Asami don’t worry. All those rich and powerful guys are into this sort of secret life of debauchery. They’re bored. What else is there to do?!” Varrick chimed in.

“Are you in on this too?” Asami still didn’t know how to react. 

“All the orgies and black magic stuff? Oh no no no. I’m just here for the bootleg cactus juice and all the off-the-books money it can make me. And we wanna know if you wanna join us in this enterprise,” Varrick said with a sly smile as he twisted his skinny mustachio.

“Asami, if I may,” Chai Son began, taking a step toward her. “All of this looks sort of curious. So, let me tell you a story. First, I need to come clean. I didn’t hurt my leg in a car crash, though my father did die in it. And in a Satomobile no less. But that’s not all... I don’t come from money. I come from nothing, a pauper. My father saved and worked his butt off to afford a Satomobile. He thought it would elevate our family’s status, give us a new beginning in the New World. Of course he worshipped Hiroshi Sato, self-made Captain of Industry who also came from nothing. He would save every newspaper clipping of your father– wanted to be inspired, to inspire me.” Chai Son’s eyes watered and he walked over to the six foot fire place, staring into it. 

Asami listened empathetically, still giving Chai Son the benefit of the doubt, while Varrick watched in amusement. This kid coulda been a mover star, he thought.

Chai Son continued: “After my father died, it was me and mother. We had to sell the Satomobile to make ends meet, but it didn’t matter because she died the following year of a broken heart. I started hustling around the Republic City streets, until one day I heard about the Great Uniter and what she was doing. And I believed – until she tossed me away, stripped me of my rank! I was to be Captain, but my leg was destroyed by a scrappy metalbender defending his dusty corner of the Earth Kingdom. I eventually made it to the Si Wong Desert and fell in with sandbenders who introduced me to cactus juice; then I learned how to talk, how to dress, how to woo. And the rest, like they say in the movers, is history.”

“Wow, that’s a very… um story,” Asami said. 

“But wait, here comes the best part,” Chai Son said. He got closer to Asami and removed her mask, looking her in her big green eyes.

Varrick had a little notebook out and was taking notes. “This is good stuff. Maybe I’ll write a book!”

“I carried a picture with me the whole time. It kept me going – through the war, the desert, when I began racing and tasting success. You see, I saved one of my father’s newspaper clippings – the one of you and yours at a press conference. The first time I saw that picture, I knew I loved you and that I had to be worthy of you. Had to win you over.” Chai Son pulled out the clipping from his breast pocket. It was mangled, though had been carefully tucked in an envelope.

Asami recoiled. She didn’t need to see it.

“Why are you telling me this?”

“Why? Because, here I am. We could do so much good for Republic City – you and me baby.”

“Don’t call me baby.” 

Chai Son took another step toward Asami and she took another step back. Varrick stood up.

“I don’t want you to feel pressured, but I –” Chai Son continued. 

“Too late,” Asami said. She was becoming painfully aware of the uncomfortableness of the room, but she maintained her cool until she could assess the situation and figure out her next move.

“I thought we had a connection. We got on so well. I don’t understand.” Chai Son’s voice began to waver.

Korra and Mako had meantime made it to Asami’s location and were listening in on the other side of the door. Korra could hear Asami say:

“Perhaps briefly, but I’m taken. I love somebody and they love me. I’m sorry if you ever got any other impression after our first outing.”

“The Avatar,” Chai Son spat out. “But you don’t understand, I did all of this. All of it for you!”

Korra almost bust down the door at the sound of her title coming from his stupid mouth but stopped herself when she heard Asami’s response.

“No YOU don’t understand! I told you I’m not interested and you have to accept that. You think I’m some pretty little fool you’re entitled to, now that you’re not nothin’. You think that no means yes and yes means yes. It’s No – now and for the rest of this lifetime.”

Korra’s heart was going to burst out of her chest hearing Asami talk like this.

“Are you talking about me and you as something, or me and you and Varrick and our enterprise.”

“Both. Everything. I don’t want to have anything more to do with you. Or you for that matter, Varrick,” Asami said, turning to the man who disappointed her more than she cared to admit. “Does Zhu Li know this?”

Varrick slumped, ashamed. “No, and please don’t tell her.”

Chai Son, meantime, pressed on. “Men don’t become successful in life by taking no for an answer. Me and you – we’re meant for each other. You’ll see that, and soon too.”

“The lady said no,” Varrick said resolutely, looking up and meeting Chai Son’s desperate gaze.

Chai Son was taken aback before writing Varrick off as soft like Hiroshi Sato turned out to be. “And that concerns me how?” He reached for Asami’s arm and a struggle had barely a moment to ensue when Korra and Mako burst through the double doors.

“Unhand her, hoodlum,” Korra said, arms ready to shoot fire. 

Before Korra could make another move, Asami shocked Chai Son on his neck, knocking him out cold. 

“Darling,” Asami said, turning to Korra. 

“Baby,” Korra replied.

Asami leapt into the Avatar’s arms and Korra leaned in for a kiss, forgetting she was wearing a mask. She pulled it off and tried again. 

“Looks like you had the situation handled, but we came in case you needed back up.” Korra smiled.

“I’ll always take backup from you,” Asami met Korra’s gaze and let it linger there.”

“Asami, I’m so so sorry,” Korra continued.

“For what?”

“Everything. For being a jerk to you. For the decision I’ve made without you.”

“This is great guys but can we do this somewhere else?” Mako interrupted. 

“I agree with the kid. For once,” Varrick said. “Anyway, follow me. I know a few shortcuts outta here.” He made his way to the bookshelf and pulled a book, revealing a trap door.

“Should we grab Chai Son? For questions?” Mako said.

“Kidnap Chai Son? Thanks for the suggestion, officer Mako. And yes. Do you wanna carry him or should I?” Korra steadied herself to make moves but noticed the spot where Chai Son had fallen was empty. He was missing. 

“Damn, probably made it to one of the trap doors. Could be any one of them. And there are so many in a house like this,” Varrick said, biting his thumb nail. “At any rate, let’s get outta here. I’ll have my drive taker us somewhere where we can part safely.”

They followed Varrick through the secret door behind the bookshelf which lead to the outside. They hustled to his limousine, which drove them off the property without making a scene, no harm, no foul.

It was almost a little too easy. Korra had expected more of a fight. 

Varrick, meantime was visibly nervous. “You guys don’t realize what sort of network, what sort of forces we could have upset in there.” 

“Varrick, don’t worry. What force could be more powerful than the Avatar?” Asami said, cradling herself into Korra’s arms in the back of the limo. 

Korra gulped, fearing the truth in Asami’s words.

Meantime, a robed figure wearing a laughing mask looked out one of the windows of the mansion at the limo driving off into the night.

*

Back at Korrasami’s country home, they curled up facing each other on a blanket on the floor in front of the fire place, Asami gently stroking Korra’s hair, Korra leaning her head into Asami’s nook below her chin. 

Korra had told Asami everything that went down that very long day – how she lost control of herself and how Mako connected a symbol that flashed in her eye to the one on Chai Son’s pinky ring. 

Asami confirmed what she saw, though neither could definitively say Chai Son was responsible for any of it. He hadn't confirmed his involvement in any type of magicks nor any plan to hurt the Avatar, though he didn’t deny it either. What shook Korra up was seeing how spooked Varrick was in the limo. All this was on her mind. 

Asami kissed her girlfriend’s forehead as if to stupefy her busy brain. It worked. What an effect this woman had on the Avatar like none other.

Finally, after a spell, they both fell asleep right there on the floor in each other’s arms. The apocalypse would wait until after they were well rested.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone who made it this far. I'm on the last three chapters of this little longfic. I plan to release the next chapter by itself and then the following two together. They'll be a little longer, so heads up it might take me a few extra days. Can't wait to share it with y'all!
> 
> *Fidelio is Beethoven's opera and was the pw in Kubric's masterpiece Eyes Wide Shut


	29. Heart of Gold

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I decided to make this its own chapter.

Rather than a cave at the center of the mountain, Kuvira had expected to meet Avatar Kyoshi's spirit in the Hall of Avatars. Had she not listened, she may have missed the spirit of the previous Earth Avatar.

The cave was dank and craggy with stalactites and stalagmites protruding from the floors and ceiling. They were illuminated by Kyoshi's spirit, a blue light reflective of the sky, and she seemed at once firmly planted yet floating.

"You finally made it," Kyoshi said.

Kuvira bowed deeply. There were few she would show this much respect to, but the last incarnation of the Earth Avatar was one of the most powerful in recorded history.

"Avatar Kyoshi. It's an honor to—"

"Save the formalities. There's not much time before the Harvest Moon. I've been trying to reach you since you and Korra left the Spirit World. Though had I, you would not be where you are now." 

Kuvira didn't understand what Kyoshi meant by that but responded to what she could: "My apologies, I misunderstood the message. I didn't think we could communicate until the night of the harvest moon. So, why not reach out to Korra? Or Jinora?"

"Jinora's spiritual powers are strong, but she doesn't see all. She's known of the harvest moon but doesn't realize the significance. And Avatar Korra shut herself off from her spiritual side. Darkness threatens to consume her, making her a threat to herself and the world."

"Is that not all Avatars? If they aren't a help, then they're invariably a threat," Kuvira retorted, a hint of her old self speaking uncomfortable truths. A person with so much power is a frightening creature, and Kuvira had witnessed it in Korra on more than one occasion. Moreover, she had observed it in herself.

Kyoshi's headpiece a golden fan, glinted in a stalactite as she spoke, her white and red makeup masking her expression. "To take no action can be seen as a form of betrayal. 

Korra's wrestling with something no Avatar has dealt with before – she embodies both the dark and light spirits – Raava and Vaatu. But she's locked it away inside of her, and now she betrays herself."

It took a minute for what Kyoshi said to sink in, and Kuvira stood there pensively before replying: "Korra told me she was going through something, that she couldn't – wouldn't go into the Avatar state, but I didn't know why." Kuvira suddenly felt selfish for not probing her friend on the matter when she had the chance, for being too self-involved to truly listen when Korra was trying to tell her. 

"There's no need to feel guilt. Korra wasn't ready to tell you – she could hardly accept it herself, which makes her vulnerable; her identity is fractured, her spirit shrouded. What's more, there are people – a group of influential men toying with powers they have no business messing with. They think the world exists for their amusement, that nature and spirits are theirs for the manipulating with no regards to balance." Kyoshi kept her stern gaze on Kuvira without wavering.

Kuvira recalled how she, in her own crazed quest to create a totally unified Earth Empire, had harvested spirit vines relentlessly from the banyan grove. She recoiled in shame and then shook it off, realizing she couldn't take back what she had done, though she had no desire to ever do that again.

"I was like that," Kuvira admitted.

Kyoshi nodded knowingly. "The Spirits are forgiving, but only if you've truly changed. They can sense your energy. That's why you were able to move about in the Spirit World freely without being driven to madness."

"And thanks to Korra guiding me... So why me? What am I going to do? I'm a nonbender now. And a fugitive." 

"You are one of few who can stop her. You're not afraid to make the hard decisions and will do what's necessary for the greater outcome."

"I just told you I'm a nonbender now. And why on Earth would I want to stop my friend?"

"The harvest moon is nigh. It's also a blood moon. On that night, it will appear very close to the Earth. Both Waterbenders and Earthbenders will be at their peak. And Korra is a waterbending Avatar. Her power will surge, though like I said, there's chaos within her. What's more, it's a night occurring once every nine-hundred and ninety-nine years when the boundaries between realms is weakest. The Spirit World reflects her emotions; there she is the strongest and can shape reality. On this night, she will be able to do the same in the material world and particularly in Republic City where the boundary is the weakest. Korra and incidentally the world are in grave danger. And this group of men means to harness Vaatu – they intend to control and demean the Avatar; they wish to introduce chaos to the world so they can rebuild it from its ashes."

"And profit – use that to leverage control over the rank and file. When the world is in chaos and vulnerable, what's more comforting than stability? In the aftermath of Zaheer, such a thing was my modus operandi. The difference is these rich men are spiritually inept and morally bankrupt, whereas I was blinded by my righteousness." Kuvira said, processing what Kyoshi just told her.

"As I noted, the spirits can sense our energies and appear anywhere without being seen. Now that Republic City's a spiritual hub, the spirits have witnessed the men's gross abuse of nature, their assertion of dominance over it and the spirits. Korra thinks she's cut off from her previous lifetimes, but really she's not. She need only tune into places where our spiritual energies are strongest."

"Is that why we're at the Southern Air Temple?"

"Yes," Kyoshi said. "It's not only because here exists the hall of Avatars. It's because someone I loved like a father is from the Southern Air Temple, and I myself am half airbender."  
Kuvira nodded, but it still left one gaping question unanswered: "Despite this, you haven't answered why you think me strong enough to face the Avatar. I can take down regular benders easily, sure, but this is the Avatar."

"Don't be foolish." Kyoshi whipped out her golden fan and held it in front of her face.

"As it turns out, I may be a fool after all, but I'm no coward. Trust me, had I my bending I'd already be halfway to Republic City. But I don't, I never will again."  
Kyoshi laughed and the sound echoed through the heart of the mountain. "No, you're not a coward. And do you know why?"

"I do," Kuvira said. "It took me a long time to understand this... I used to think conscience makes cowards of us all – I thought that letting go of Bataar was the right thing to do, the brave thing. But it wasn't. And when I surrendered to the Avatar, I truly felt it was right, despite everything. On some level, I'll admit I once again set out to prove I wasn't a coward by taking my own bending, though that wasn't the only reason. I've had to confront my conscience during that time, which is frightening but also --"

"Courageous. Hubris can distract a person from doing the right thing – it's possible to be blinded by honor or power or both. Honor can be noble; it can also be destructive. A balanced person can find strength in their convictions by lifting the veil and tuning into what is." Kyoshi lifted the fan from her face, continuing: "The more aligned they are, the stronger they become. False strength in the form of honor or righteous motives then can be a mask for instability. It is rigid, easily shattered and thus, weak." 

"So I'm strong of heart, of a new type of conviction – one that's not rigid but flexible, malleable, fluid even. So what?" Kuvira shrugged nonchalantly but she was deeply invested in the answer.

"So everything – and nothing. You understand that as an Earthbender, you must also consider air and water and fire. You embody all of the elements – one need not be the Avatar to do this. They can bend all in one."

"But I'm not a bender!" Kuvira was getting frustrated. It was as if Kyoshi would not accept this fact with all their talk of reality.

Once again Kyoshi laughed. "But you are a bender. You're the only bender of your kind, for now."

"Do you mock me?" 

"On the contrary."

"Well, I didn't ask you or anybody to restore my bending, if that's what you intend," Kuvira said.

"I would restore your bending."

Kuvira's pulse raced and she tried her best to reel herself in. "Please. Don't," she whispered.

"And why not?"

"Because... I don't deserve it. It's my penance."

"Your karma is yours to bear regardless of whether you have bending. The only reason you would deny me is if you feared yourself, and to run from that destiny would be cowardly."

Kuvira shook her head. "That's not it."

"Only justice will bring peace, but a new type of justice must be served, and you're a player on the world's stage whether you like it or not."

Kuvira considered. There was a time, even up to a few days ago where she embraced this thought but things changed like a switch within her -- had she felt peace ever in her life? Only in those quiet, inauspicious moments. Once again, she felt foolish. 

"I'll never be absolved of what I've done in this lifetime. It may take a hundred lifetimes. I'm going to have to accept that."

"Accept this—" 

In an instant, Kyoshi's spirit transported and appeared inches in front of Kuvira, where she towered over her. Kyoshi extended her thumbs – one to Kuvira's third eye, the other to her chest at her heart chakra. A blinding white light shot out of Kuvira's mouth and eyes and she felt energy surge through her, traveling up her spinal column and through the other major channels of her body. It was pure ecstasy, enough to drive an unprepared person mad.

Kyoshi removed her thumbs and Kuvira fell to the ground, her eyes full of tears, her body humming and throbbing in a familiar yet undeniably new way. She looked down at her hands, which trembled as energy surged within her. 

"Now rise and become who you already are," Kyoshi said.

Kuvira stood slowly, taking long, deep breaths to steady herself. In the inhalations, she felt the earth beneath her, the stalactites and stalagmites above and below her. It was, all of it, teeming with life and vibrations and rhythms. 

"Is this my fate!" Kuvira screamed, spittle spraying out of her mouth. 

"It is what is. And you are who and what you are."

"Another reality: Korra can bend metal, and that includes platinum -- I taught her. Well, we sort of brought it out of each other." Kuvira blushed from the cocktail of emotions heaving through her.

"But she can't bend gold."

"Neither can I."

"Do you not feel it?"

"I can feel everything right now!"

"The Golden Heart technique. I saw you studying it. Now concentrate."

Kuvira was struck just then with what to do. She breathed and did the forms in the scroll, moving gracefully with strength and fluidity. The mountain trembled below her and she felt something dense vibrating beneath her – the purest metal in the world. Her eye's widened.

"There's gold here. I'm a gold bender! You gave this to me??" Kuvira husked.  
Kyoshi shook her head. "I didn't give you anything. I merely restored what was already there. You've undergone an inner alchemy, chipping away to reach the gold within your heart. Now you must live in this world and keep living in it. There's indeed gold in this mountain, but you must never tell anyone outside of this temple, you must never take more than you need, and you must never abuse your power."

Kuvira bowed to signify Kyoshi's words had been heeded. Then she planted her feet and concentrated her energy on the gold, siphoning some of it out of the mountain's pours like liquid. Her mind's eye focused on fashioning armor of which she had made prototypes with other forms of metal. Combining creativity and conscious control, she shaped what was a perfect picture in her mind, the liquid gold entwining around her body and limbs, forming protective armor attachments that doubled as weapons and allowed for flexibility. Under normal conditions, gold would be too heavy for armor, but for Kuvira, a gold bender, it was as light and flowy as silk garments. 

"Now go. Get to Republic City and stop the Avatar... at any cost."

"What about those guys who mean to control her? What if we stopped them?"

"You're too late for that. The ritual is done. Now all they have to do is wait – and time is running out..." Kyoshi faded away slowly until there was darkness in the cave.

But the darkness no longer mattered to Kuvira. She felt the earth around her and incidentally a glimpse of Toph's world, silently acknowledging how great and unparalleled the legendary metalbender truly is and ever would be. Even so, this was Kuvira's time.


	30. Unfinished Business

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Smuts

As Kuvira emerged from the core of the mountain and made her way back from where she came, Opal stirred from her dreamless sleep under the fir tree. She saw Kuvira walking toward her, light from the moon reflecting her golden armaments. Was she dreaming after all, she wondered?

Kuvira approached and stood over Opal, who sat up and leaned against the tree.

“Where’d you get that armor? What’s going on?” Opal yawned. 

“I’ll explain everything in the morning. But we need to start making moves toward Republic City. I’ll speak with Jinora at first light.” Kuvira’s voice was urgent, focused. 

Opal crossed her arms. “I’m not a child, Kuvira. You don’t get to show up looking like a glam warrior woman and expect me to forget about it and fall back asleep. Answers. Now!” 

Kuvira sighed. Opal didn’t look like she was backing away from her pursuit of immediate answers. 

“Something happened to me. And something even bigger’s going to happen in a few days to Korra and Republic City.”

“Start with you.” Opal cared about the urgent situation in Republic City of course, but she was curious about the shiny woman in front of her. 

Kuvira took a breath and lifted a round stone to hover some feet ahead of her. Then she bent a rope from one of her golden forearm guards and whipped it at the slowly spiraling stone. The stone snapped in half and fell to the ground. The golden rope yo-yoed back to Kuvira’s forearm and molded to her armor.

“Funny thing, this heavy metal weighs nothing at all once you learn how to bend it. It’s like liquid and air but also impenetrable.”

Opal rubbed her eyes, stunned by what she saw. 

Kuvira bent the gold off of her, forming a perfect sphere from which she separated a smaller sphere and split that into two equal spheres. She sat next to Opal with the two small golden balls rotating inches above her hand, one revolving around the other.

Opal reached out and grabbed one of the balls and examined it. A perfect little sphere. 

“Wow,” was all Opal could say.

That’s when Kuvira told Opal everything else – except for the fact that there was a gold mine in the mountain, though she knew Opal was no dummy and would figure it out on her own eventually.

“Kuvira, I want you to know,” Opal said, leaning her head into the other woman’s chest. Heat crept between her legs as she heard Kuvira’s pounding heartbeat like a warrior’s love song. “I’m an airbender, but that won’t stop me from doing what’s right. I’m going to be beside you when things go down.”

Kuvira looked into Opal’s resolute eyes and in that moment felt immensely grateful. She leaned in close to Opal’s little lips and nearly kissed her but stopped herself.

“We should probably get back,” Kuvira said. “Get some rest and prepare for what lies ahead.”

Opal’s entire body flushed as she felt Kuvira’s breath against her lips. “Yeah.”

They got up and headed back to their rooms, the gold hovering behind Kuvira as she walked. At Opal’s door, they said their goodnights and Kuvira headed back to her room.

Kuvira undressed and lay in her bed, looking out the window at the moon. When it came to the situation in Republic City, she felt the urgency and yet she was calm. Other matters had taken up space in her mind and heart, and unshakeable arousal consumed her.

She moved her hand down slowly to her pussy and began circling her clit with her middle finger, building up heat in her core and breathing heavily. With her other hand she gripped the edge of the cot and moved her finger faster, harder. When she leaned her head back, she noticed someone standing at the door, watching her. She jumped in her cot and covered herself before realizing who it was – Opal.

“Opal! I – fuck, you caught me.” Kuvira threw her blanket down and lay back on her cot. 

“I was just here to – see if you wanted company.”

“Oh, yes.”

Opal walked over to the cot and straddled Kuvira. She hadn’t yet changed out of her airbending suit, and Kuvira was naked and wet. Opal leaned in and whispered into Kuvira’s ear: “I want you to undress me” before licking it and moving her mouth down Kuvira’s neck. Her hands, meanwhile rubbed Kuvira’s tits, thumbs encircling hard nipples.

Kuvira reached around and unzipped Opal’s suit, pausing to moan and inhale sharply, feeling the warmth of Opal’s tongue lick a sensitive spot at her collarbone. Soon Opal’s perfect tits were out and Kuvira leaned in and suckled those awhile, gently pushing Opal onto her back and sticking her hand down where the rest of the suit collected at her waist. Kuvira’s hand worked its way down, her fingers dipping into the folds of Opal’s wet pussy. 

After all these years, it was finally happening. 

Kuvira touched Opal down there; the other woman reciprocated and they twirled their fingers around, making out at the same time. As heat continued to build, they moaned into each other’s mouths and it became a game of who was going to come first, their fingers rubbing and pumping harder until Opal buried her head into Kuvira’s sweaty nape and came, riding her pussy against the other woman’s hand. All the while Opal was coming, she focused her attention on relentlessly pleasing Kuvira, whose deep moans intensified her release. 

Opal removed her hand from Kuvira’s wet pussy to mild and brief protests until moments later, Opal’s head was in Kuvira’s snatch licking steadily as Kuvira’s hips gyrated against her mouth.

Kuvira’s chest and head and entire being became the heat between her legs as Opal concentrated on the clit, pressing her tongue in steady motions until Kuvira couldn’t take it anymore and her hips bucked in an intense orgasm. Opal continued to lick but softer now until Kuvira’s breathing slowly steadied.

They kissed passionately and Kuvira tasted herself in Opal’s mouth. Then they lay there cuddling awhile before Opal broke the silence: “Well that happened.”

“Finally,” Kuvira said. She kissed Opal’s forehead.

“Not bad for my first time with a woman.” 

“You’re sure of yourself huh?” Kuvira teased. 

“Of myself – yes. And of how I feel about you. But you on the other hand...” She sighed.

Kuvira fell silent, wondering what Opal meant. They continued to cuddle until Opal drifted off to sleep, though Kuvira wasn’t tired. Her thoughts turned to Bae, who was probably out cold. That woman could sleep her way through the apocalypse. She chuckled silently at the thought and caught herself. A sharp pang arose in her chest and she felt like she had been slugged in the gut. 

“Uh oh,” she whispered.

*

In the morning, Opal awoke to no one. Kuvira had gone at dawn to see Jinora like she said she would, but Opal thought they would greet the morning with salutations and each other with kisses.

Meanwhile Kuvira found Jinora, who had been meditating as the sun rose, and told her everything. They would convene a meeting with the others in the early afternoon to plan their next move.

She found a tree to meditate under, a different one from Opal’s – she needed to be alone to process her confusion and personal matters so she could have a clear mind when she faced Korra. Again. Difference was, Korra was the most powerful person in the world, and with each passing year, she realized more of this truth. Kuvira had spanked Korra in one-on-one battles on more than one occasion, but there would inevitably come a time when the Avatar would surpass her. This must not be that time.

Kuvira wanted to avoid putting down the person she considered her best friend but Kyoshi was right, the former Great Uniter was no stranger to making hard decisions for the greater outcome. 

She listened and waited as she had when Kyoshi called upon her the previous night. To act without reflection would be imbalanced; it could mislead a well-meaning person down a path of oppression. Reflection without action can also lead to imbalance, though the latter wasn’t Kuvira’s problem so much as the former.

Off in the distance she saw Kai, Bumi, and Bae at the airball field. Word was that Bae had made fast friends with those two fellas. She decided to join them, realizing this would be her first interaction with Bae since the big revelation.

Wearing gold-plated armor, Kuvira walked toward the clique until she came upon a ledge. The group was directly below about fifty feet down. Kai saw Kuvira and waved and the rest looked up in the direction of his greeting. 

Metal slid off of Kuvira, forming a platform beneath her feet which lifted her and brought her down to their level. Everyone was shocked but Kuvira kept her gaze on Bae’s reaction, who looked at her with villainous eyes.

“Kuvira! Your bending, it’s returned!” Bumi said incredulously as she landed before them.

“You’re a gold bender!” was all Kai could say.

Bae crossed her arms and stared at Kuvira coldly. “So you really are Kuvira.”

“I am she.” There was no more hiding who she was, ever again. Kuvira’s heart stuttered and she cursed herself for this feeling. Forcing herself to ignore it just a while longer, she told them about the meeting that afternoon. Of course Kai and Bumi were on board for the mission.

“Nothing’s gonna stop me from keeping my family safe,’ Bumi said, burying his fist in his hand. Bumjun fluttered about his shoulders.

Tear rolled down Bae’s face, and she turned to hide her vulnerability, but Kuvira had caught it.

“Can I talk to you alone please?” Kuvira softened her tone.

Kai and Bumi looked at each other and took that as their cue to play some airball, a great morning airbending exercise.

Kuvira took Bae’s hand and Bae immediately noticed something different in the way Kuvira treated her.

“I wanted to give you space these past few days. It wasn’t my place to ask for your forgiveness before you were ready to give it.”

Bae didn’t retract her hand but was quiet a moment before speaking again.

“I hated you a long time – before I ever met you. But that’s before I met you… and you had something to hide but you were just so much like him.” She broke down then, taking shallow breaths as she cried.

Kuvira hugged her unreservedly and kissed the top of her head; Kai and Bumi played their game poorly, pretending not to watch.

“Truth is I’m sorry I hurt you, but at the time I felt justified. I wish I knew then what I know now.”

“I know this. I’m not nothin’ but I know somethin’ or two.”

Kuvira laughed as Bae melted in her arms. “Darn tootin’.”

Bae continued: “That’s why it’s so hard – it’d be easier to hate you if you really were terrible. Instead, I…”

“Love you,” Kuvira finished Bae’s sentence, simultaneously beginning her own.

Bae teared away from Kuvira, not expecting to hear those words. “You? Love? Me? But what about Opal?”

Kuvira looked down and shook her head. “It’s complicated. I love her too. I didn’t think it was possible but I love both of you.”

“Well then.” Bae turned to take a seat on the ground and Kuvira bent a stool for her. Surprised at first, she settled into the earthen seat. “I guess I’m gonna have to get used to that – you bending.”

“Get used to it?”

Bae realized what she said and shook her head. “I don’t know. I’m still figuring things out. I’ll need time.”

Kuvira nodded and looked out at the guys who pretended like their match was heating up.

“Anyway, you looked like you been cozying up to Bumi over there,” Kuvira said.

“I wasn’t. He’s just a nice guy. Even so – so what if I was? Jealous?”

“It’s not my place to judge but he’s way too old for you.” 

“Whoa, says the woman who was engaged to her brother and later fell in love with her sister.”

Kuvira blushed. “At any rate, I can take him – and Kai for that matter – in airball that is.”

Bae blew a curly strand of hair out of her face, swinging her short legs on the stool. “Ha! Little miss high n mighty gold bender is jealous. Go ahead, tell me how.”

“All the world’s a Pai Sho board, and we’re the tiles,” Kuvira said, smiling slyly.

Bae gave her a look like stop speaking in riddles.

“Yeah Kuvira, let’s hear it. How would you beat me?” Kai was twirling the airball at his fingertips, a gale of wind keeping it steady on its axis.

“And poor, old me?” Bumi chimed in.

Kuvira turned toward the men, maintaining her sly smile. She had only slightly hoped it would come to this. Yes, she was a gold bender but at the end of the day she was still Kuvira. “I need to practice my bending anyway. Kai, I challenge you.”

“Very well. Prepare to get your butt destroyed,” Kai said.

Kuvira pointed to the younger man. “The only butt getting destroyed here is yours!”

“I’ll be the judge of whose butt is destroyed,” Bumi said. Bumjun made a high pitched spirity sound.

Bae shook her head. “Can y’all please stop talking about destroying butts?”

With that, Kuvira and Kai made their way to opposite sides of the air field and stood on tall, skinny pillars.

“We’re playing a game of sudden death – and rebirth,” Bumi said. He twirled the ball in his hand. “First one to get this ball in the opponent’s goal wins.”

“Deal!” They both said in unison.

Bumi stood in the middle of the field and counted down three, two, one before tossing it in the air. Kai made an air swipe that knocked Kuvira back before lunging for the ball, but Kuvira bent a few poles to catch her back and push her to her feet. Smart kid, she thought. She had underestimated him, but still.

In the next moment, the ball flew past her head in a gale and she used her speedy and precise reflexes to bend gold around the ball, halting it mid-flight. She then bent the pillar once more to propel her in the air, her leg spinning around to kick the metal ball directly through the hoop on the other side. Kai had to dodge to avoid getting hit.

The gold detached from the ball and flew back to Kuvira who glided back to the ledge on a floating piece of rock.

“Well then,” Bumi said. 

“No fair!” Kai protested.

Kuvira shrugged. “I’m not an airbender, so…” She noticed Opal watching them from above. How long had she sat there, she wondered?

With that Kuvira excused herself and rode a piece of gold up to where Opal was, the others' gazes following. Bae kept her eye intently on Opal, and the look was reciprocated.

“Opal,” Kuvira said, leaning in to kiss her. “Good morning. How did you sleep?”

Opal recoiled. “Don’t play this game with me. I saw – and heard – everything.”

“Well then you must have heard that I love you.”

“And Bae too.” Opal stamped her foot, tears forming. “How can I be so stupid? I saw you two when you arrived. How you two looked at each other – I knew it then.”

At this point, Kuvira could only express her own recent revelation on the matter. “This is news to me too because all I could think about when I was out there walking around the Earth Territories for a year was you. Even if I never saw you again, the thought of you happy, I --”

“But I wasn’t happy! You left me with nothing but a letter and your hair to remember you by!”

Kuvira didn’t move, didn’t speak, and Opal continued: “Me and you – we fell in love, and I left Bolin. He was a great guy – I just didn’t love him, didn’t miss him like I missed you. And then you go and tell me to stay with him, like, do you even know me at all?”

“Listen, Opal. What’s done – it happened. And I do love you, so I have to be honest. I’m still a bit confused about it myself.”

“That you love two women?”

Kuvira nodded. “Maybe it’s a sign I shouldn’t be with either of you and need to focus on the mission.”

“Maybe it is,” Opal said weakly.

“So I’ll see you at the meeting.” Kuvira matched Opal’s tone. She turned to go.

“You’re a gold bender now,” Opal said to Kuvira’s back. She mouthed to herself “that’s not for nothing.”

*

They met on a grassy knoll where spiritual training with the other airbenders and acolytes often took place. It was Kuvira, Bae, Opal, Bumi, Kai and a few others with Jinora calling it. The sun was high in the sky.

Everyone at the meeting felt the tension among Kuvira and Opal and Bae, but Kuvira had decided once and for all to focus on more important matters first, averting her gaze from either woman.

The plan was this: They would take Juicy and Moo through the Southern Spirit portal and enter Republic City through the Spirit World. It was the fastest way to get there. Once inside the Spirit World, BumJun would guide them to the Republic City portal. It was important that once they entered, they remain focused utterly on their destination and not allow their minds to wander or emotions to interfere with the mission. This could cause catastrophic delays or worse. 

Jinora would stay at the Southern Air Temple. As Master, her duty was now elsewhere. 

The plan was set to leave at first light the following morning. That left the rest of the day for preparations. 

With that settled, Kuvira walked with purpose toward her room, where she would spend the day training and meditating.

“Kuvira,” Bae called from behind. 

Kuvira stopped and turned around while Opal stood by and watched.

“Yes?”

“I’m coming with you to Republic City,” Bae said resolutely.

“We just said that it’s too dangerous and you would stay here,” Kuvira noticed Opal as she responded.

Her quick look wasn’t lost on Bae, but she continued, “We just been through Serpents Pass – and you didn’t have bending then. Besides, no way I’m letting you go to Republic City without me. So it’s settled.”

This took Kuvira aback, but she liked it. She tried not to smile, but even the faintest expression wouldn’t be lost on the ever-perceptive Opal. 

Opal stepped toward the two women and looked from one to the other, crossing her arms. Kuvira couldn’t tell if Opal appeared angry or curious. They stood there awkwardly a few seconds and Kuvira broke a sweat beneath her golden suit.

“Well, then. Let’s not pretend this isn’t awkward. So I’m going to say this – you and you both, I love.” Kuvira pointed from one then the other, then she turned around and left without looking back until she reached her room.

*

In the evening, Kuvira meditated, inhaling and exhaling the thin high-altitude air slowly.

She heard familiar footsteps approaching and her heart fluttered. It was Bae. But when Kuvira opened her eyes, she saw both Bae and Opal standing there.

“We’ve been talking,” Opal said.

Kuvira swallowed the dry air. “You’ve been whatting?”

“And,” Bae said. “We think you should come with us.”

“To relax,” Opal added. “You know, before the big showdown.”

“I uh… um…” Kuvira’s skin flushed red.

Bae laughed. “I ain’t ever seen you tongue tied like this. You’re usually ‘Miss cool gal.’ It’s kinda cute.”

“We need to stay focused. This is the apocalypse,” Kuvira protested weakly.

“All the more reason. Let’s go.” Opal walked over to Kuvira and grabbed her hands, helping her up. 

Kuvira shivered at Opal’s touch, and in a flash she was turned on. She looked over to the cot. There’s not much space. 

Opal laughed. “No, not here.”

“Where?” 

“You’ll see.” Opal took Kuvira’s hand and led her out the door. 

Bae grabbed her other hand and followed behind, the three of them forming a chain along the narrow, spiraling hallway which they followed downward. Juicy was outside waiting for them and Opal motioned for everyone to climb aboard. At the end the saddle, Kuvira noticed three towels. 

Flying off into the night, Moo took the women to a secluded area in a valley filled with hot springs. In several of the springs, monkeys bathed and relaxed, picking bugs from each other’s’ fur.

Opal slid off Juicy and immediately disrobed, exposing her naked body for the women and the monkeys and Moo to see. She then dipped one toe in the water, slowly submerging the rest of her leg and body up to her chest. She moaned deeply. “Mmm this feels so good. Get in here.” 

Kuvira wanted Opal right then and there but she remembered Bae, who sat across from her. They climbed down and slowly undressed. This wasn’t the first time they saw each other naked but it was the first time it happened under these auspicious circumstances.

Bae’s breasts were full, her body curvy and voluptuous. The way she looked at Kuvira as she disrobed made Kuvira wet. 

They made their way into the hot spring and exhaled tension between them as the healing waters got to work.

Kuvira’s head was tilted back against the edge of the spring, her arms draped out over the side with her tits out. 

That’s when Opal made her move. She floated toward Kuvira and said in a low voice: “Do you remember what I wanted to be before I became an airbender?”

Kuvira lifted her head and looked at Opal. “Of course, you wanted to study monkeys like that famous lady who lived with them in the jungle.”

Opal tucked a piece of hair behind her ear with her wet hand and Bae inched her way toward the women.

“She was a primatologist and those were apes. There are all sorts of monkeys and apes throughout the world. We have flying lemur monkeys at Air Temple Island. And here – these are Potola Macaques. Interesting thing about them is they’re matrilineal, which means their alpha is a female.”

They all looked at a small group of three macaques who shared the other side of the hot spring with them. For the first time, Kuvira noticed that two of the macaques groomed the other one, perhaps the female leader.

“It’s said that monkeys and apes are closer to humans than previously thought. And there are all sorts of social systems that exist,” Opal continued, leaning into Kuvira. “The animal kingdom isn’t confined to monogamous pairs. And always. Always, there’re exceptions.” 

Kuvira’s pussy ached in the way that craved attention. She kept her eyes locked onto Opal who leaned in for a sloppy kiss, her hand squeezing her breast and making its way down to Kuvira’s clit. This woman is a scholar, Kuvira thought.

Bae intercepted Kuvira’s lips then, pulling her chin away from Opal’s, while Opal continued to work her clit. They kissed passionately and Kuvira closed her eyes to revel in this moment. She didn’t plan for their first kiss to be this way but that’s life sometimes.

Kuvira’s hand came around and slid into Bae’s pussy which was somehow wetter than the hot springs. She worked her deft fingers there, causing Bae to stop kissing Kuvira briefly to breathe into the sensation. 

Then Bae and Opal kissed each other, feeling each other’s tits as they did it. Kuvira watched and enjoyed the show as they kept going, Bae finding her way to the edge of the spring and Opal submerging her face in Bae’s pussy. 

Eventually, Kuvira squatted over Bae and felt the other woman’s tongue down there, circling, pressing, sucking. When Bae found a catch, Kuvira egged her on: “Fuck Bae, keep going, Right there.”

“Ahhh,” Bae moaned into Kuvira’s pussy. Opal’s tongue had made her come and she was riding the aftershock.

“Get over here!” Kuvira breathed to Opal, who climbed out of the hot springs and positioned her pussy in front of Kuvira’s face. 

Kuvira leaned forward, tongue reaching to meet Opal’s dripping pussy, and Opal threaded her hand through Kuvira’s thick black hair. The sensation of getting her hair pulled almost made Kuvira come right there. 

With strong hands, Kuvira gripped Opal’s ass and brought her pussy to her face, plunging her tongue into the folds. Opal nearly screamed when she felt Kuvira’s tongue, which was pressed with the utmost force as Kuvira’s head shook aggressively back and forth. “Oh yes, yes!” Opal screamed.

Juicy groaned and the macaques stopped what they were doing briefly to watch them. But none of the women cared anymore to show modesty, releasing all inhibitions and bodily tensions.

Kuvira shuddered as she came and bared down steadily on Opal’s clit who came two shakes after her. 

All three women laid at the side the spring, entwining limbs and breathing heavily and kissing gently. 

“Well that couldn’t be undone,” Kuvira said finally, gathering up her chi. “And also, thank you. Although, I’m still not sure what this means.”

“Means we’re a bunch of horny bastards,” Bae said.

They all laughed. It was true.

They toweled off and rode Moo back, relaxed and rejuvenated. 

Before parting ways to their respective rooms, they agreed to take whatever happened or was happening among them one day at a time.

*

In the morning, they saddled up and rode toward the South Pole, where the Southern Portal was located. Moo remembered Kuvira from when Korra trained in Zaofu and so rode her with Bae and Bumi while Jinora and Kai rode Juicy. 

When they crossed the portal, BumJum grew to ten-feet tall and led the way. It was smooth sailing to Republic City. At this rate, they would arrive with enough time to touch base with Tenzin and Team Avatar and line up plans. All they had to do was make it to the other portal.

Bae had never been to the Spirit World, and when she entered she was bedazzled by the natural splendor unlike she had ever seen. She became intoxicated by it, leaning over the saddle toward a spirit forest below them. Then she heard it, a voice calling her name – her husband.

“Almost there, I can see the portal in the distance,” Kai yelled from atop Juicy as he looked back. His face turned to horror as he and the rest of the party witnessed Bae tumbling down, a lone figure in the sky. He braced himself to jump after her but she had already fallen into the forest. 

“Oh no!” Bumi stated the obvious.

Kuvira’s face went pale. She looked at the portal and then Opal, who nodded. Then she jumped head first into the dark forest where Bae had fallen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Like I said, I'm going write the rest through the end and release it all at once like how Bryke did their finales.


	31. Inner Demons

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I changed my mind and decided to add another chapter! But I'll release the next and final chapters together.
> 
> Also, warning: This gets dark and creepy toward the end.

The spirit portal formed a double helix, illuminating the sky. Bumi and Opal looked from the dark forest below to the portal over yonder.

"What do we do?" Kai called out to the folks who had not fallen or jumped from the skybisons.

"We can't just leave Kuvira and Bae here." Opal leaned over to scan the forest below for signs of them, a futile gesture.

"Not all of us. We've got to get to Tenzin and the others ASAP," Bumi said. He turned to listen to a suggestion from BumJun that only he could understand and reported back to the rest. "BumJun says we have to hurry because the landscape is constantly shifting. And our distress is irritating the spirits."

"Fine, you all go. I'm staying here and waiting for them," Opal said.

"But Opal," Kai said. "What if –"

"I don't care!" Opal gripped Juicy's reigns tightly. She realized her own distress and took a deep breath.

BumJun made another inscrutable sound.

"BumJun says we have to go. Their best hope is if a spirit guide finds them and leads them to the Republic City portal," Bumi translated. He turned to BumJun. "Wow, you're quite eloquent in the Spirit World."

BumJun bowed, his massive ears fluttering as he hovered next to Moo.

"Opal, we've got to go. She'll find a way – she's Kuvira," Kai said.

They all gave each other a knowing look.

"She is and she will," Opal closed her eyes and made a wordless wish; her intention emanated into the Spirit World like a siren, and the right spirits heard. When Opal opened her eyes, she said "let's go," and they went.

*

The forest was cold and shrouded, the trees forming a vast web of connections through its roots and the soil and the fungi. At first glance the forest seemed spiritless, but in a blink, life or something like it teemed everywhere.

"Bae? Bae?" Kuvira called, walking around. She tried not to disturb the spirits, but with her gross body clunking and stinking about the place, it was nearly impossible.

"You mean the other smelly human?" A high-pitched voice called.

"Who said that?" Kuvira said, spinning around before finally looking down.

"Me," a mushroom spirit replied.

Kuvira knelt to mushroom head level. "Have you seen the smelly human you speak of? And if so, can you please point me in the right direction?"

"Well I don't have hands, so I can't point. But she's over there." The mushroom motioned with its eyes and Kuvira turned to find Bae wandering, muttering to herself.

"Where are you, my love? I know I heard your voice. I'm here now. You can show yourself," Bae said, feeling around aimlessly in the dark.

Kuvira approached and grabbed Bae's hand. "I'm here."

Bae looked at Kuvira and her eyes began to water. "Finally, you made it. "I found you, I --- ahh!" Bae unfastened her hand from Kuvira's and backed away, running deeper into the forest.

"Bae! Come back here!" This time Kuvira did chase her, grabbing her hand once more before Bae slipped further into the shrouded abyss. "It's OK, I've got you. We've got to go."

"No. You're not him. You're... someone else! I don't know you!!" Bae said desperately.

Kuvira held Bae then, knowing her emotions affected their immediate surroundings. Dark spirits crowded around but Kuvira paid them no mind. "I know I'm not," she whispered. "I'm sorry. I'm truly, truly sorry."

Bae gripped Kuvira's torso tighter and cried, letting it all out. Slowly, the spirits shifted from agitated malevolent beings, to sad and sniffly, to peaceful and airy. They no longer focused on the two stinky creatures below but floated off down their own paths.

"I'm sorry. I sure messed things up, didn't I?" Bae said after a long spell.

"If you're referring to the spirit portal and the apocalypse -- don't worry. We'll find a way. One thing you should know about me, I never give up."

Still holding Bae's hand, Kuvira motioned to go. She planned to ask the mushroom for directions out of the forest but before she could, a majestic sight appeared.

In a clearing emerged two regal spirits. A white tiger with black stripes ambled its immense haunches toward them, yawning to reveal canines the size of Kuvira's head; a black crane hovered above it, flapping its wings elegantly. They both emanated a soft glow. To the women, they appeared to be traveling companions.

The tiger approached, encircling the women. Bae was shaking. "Are we a snack?" she whispered to her traveling companion.

The crane locked eyes with Kuvira momentarily before coyly turning away; the tiger snarled.

"No, I think we insulted them by saying that," Kuvira said. She slowly let go of Bae, who protested. "It's OK, I think they want me to do something. Please give me a little space."

Bae stepped back, though carefully avoiding the path of the tiger.

Kuvira took a deep breath and steadied herself before dancing the tigercrane form.

"Fun fact about me, Bae – since I've never told you anything about my past," Kuvira said, as she performed. "When I was a little girl, I had a bad temper and couldn't sit still. So, when I learned the basic earthbending forms, to make it less boring, I turned everything into a dance. Anyone else would have punished me for doing it wrong, but Su – Mom – saw something special in me then. And I couldn't be more grateful."

Kuvira continued the form blithely though powerfully. When she was done, she collected her chi and bowed to the tiger and crane who returned the gesture.

"There are many paths... will you please lead us to the new spirit portal?" Kuvira said humbly.

"Ask and you shall receive," the tiger responded in a low drawl.

The tiger approached the women and turned to its side, signaling them to climb on. Kuvira whispered to Bae to remain calm and helped her up. Sometimes being cool was vitally necessary.

They both straddled the tiger who shifted its immense figure, swinging its hips as it walked; the crane flew low, leading the way out of the forest.

When they emerged, the landscape had changed to something neither woman recognized. The tiger stood on its hind legs, sliding the women off its back; then it leapt up and merged with the crane, forming a giant striped tigercrane with sharp talons and black stripes and wings that spanned a jet plane. Its head was a tiger; it's body, a bird.

The women climbed atop the tigercrane who cleaned itself with its prickly tongue leisurely before launching off the ground and greeting the sky.

They flew for countless miles over hill and dale and stream and river, through mountain and desert, through ocean and jungle until off in the distance, the spirit portal appeared.

"We're almost there! We made it!" Bae said. She was incredulous as if she had been in the spirit world much longer than a few hours – it felt like both a moment and a lifetime.

As for Kuvira, nothing could break her focus, not even the moon shining full and bright through the portal as if it appeared to be slowly crossing over into the spirit world.

The tigercrane soared through the portal across worlds to Republic City. All was peaceful it seemed, no sign of death and destruction.

They landed a few feet from the portal and dismounted the tigercrane, which wordlessly separated once more and ambled back.

Kuvira and Bae showed their silent gratitude by not turning away until the tigercrane disappeared into the portal, though Bae was struck by the City.

"So this is Republic City. I always wanted to come here – never imagined it'd be under these circumstances." Bae gazed about the spirit wilds and around at the skyscrapers.

"And I never imagined I'd be back here again," Kuvira said, scanning for signs of something apocalyptic.

"Maybe they didn't need us, well, you. Maybe things are fine."

A Satomobile sped around a curve and screeched to a stop next to them. It was Asami with Opal in the passenger seat.

"Kuvira! We need you!" Opal hopped out of the car as they stopped, using a small gale of wind as a boost.

The airbender ran up to Kuvira and jumped in her arms, kissing her. Then she pulled away and looked at Bae, blushing before leaning in to hug her and delicately kiss her on the cheek at the corner of her mouth.

"Glad you made it. I knew you would," Opal said.

Bae was also blushing and Asami noticed the sexual tension among all of them but pretended not to.

"Things are not OK," Asami said from the driver's seat of the car. "Korra's gone. We were going to tie her up before the full moon but she disappeared sometime last night. Now get in, I'll explain the rest on the way."

Kuvira and Bae hopped in back and Opal in shotgun. She turned to Kuvira. "They already know the rest about what Kyoshi said and the blood moon."

"And if it's true," Asami shifted gears before speeding off, "Then we have a lot to worry about."

"What do you mean?" Bae said. Her spirit world stupor had dissipated.

"I mean – we need to stop Chai Son and his little secret society because they have no idea what an Avatar really is. And especially now that Korra is vulnerable... I just worry about her." A tear streamed down Asami's face and she quickly wiped it before the others noticed. But it wasn't a tear of sadness, it was of anger and resolution. She gripped the wheel and bore down on the gas pedal.

Meantime, Kuvira was thinking of ways to acquire gold in the city, and all the while she focused on her mission, it didn't occur to her that she had fucked everyone in the car.

*

The night before...

Korrasami were snuggled in bed, discussing the game plan. The next morning, they would strap the Avatar down, muzzle her, and lock her away on Air Temple island until the whole thing blew over.

Varrick had acquired gold handcuffs, but he wouldn't say where he got them or what he used them for. Either way, they took what they could get on short notice.

They would take turns standing guard while some of them searched for Chai Son, who was probably hiding out somewhere in or around the city.

Jinora, having made great strides in her spiritual progress, appeared in spirit at Air Temple Island to give a heads up that Kuvira, a newly minted goldbender, and the rest were headed to Republic City.

"What if she doesn't get here in time and I do something awful?" Korra's mind was circling again.

"She will, baby. Jinora said they're already on the way... And you won't," Asami caressed Korra's forearm which was draped around her.

Korra kissed the back of her neck. "I don't know what I'd do if I hurt you or anyone. I've been thinking – maybe we need to get far, far away from here. Disappear."

Asami turned to face Korra. "The Earth is filled with all the elements. There's no escaping – unless we launched you to outer space."

"There's the high school librarian, the one I told you about... if worse comes to worse, I want him around."

"Korra, no! It could drive you crazy – getting locked in that portal or whatever it is for seeming eternity. And, like Tenzin said, who knows what that would do to our world? Losing both the dark and light spirits?? That's the worst idea I've ever heard."

"It might be the only... unless you killed me. And if it happens to be while I'm in the Avatar state, so be it."

"Don't talk like that baby. I'm not going to kill you – I'd rather die."

Korra delicately kissed Asami's lips and the tears that collected about her eyes. "I'm glad Kuvira's coming."

They lay there in silence before dozing off.

Hours later, Korra awoke clutching her gut, feeling sick. She fell out of bed and made her way to the bathroom, vertigo setting in. Crawling to the toiled bowl, she dry-heaved in it to no avail. She could barely lift her head, so she let it rest on the ground and began to flail this way and that, crying "Asaaamiiii," before passing out.

Korra opened her eyes and saw Asami's unmade up face staring back at her.

"Are you OK? You were out for a minute. I was going to call Tenzin," Asami said, leaning in to hug the Avatar.

Korra patted Asami's back with one hand and sat up. "I feel... fine. Great actually. I don't know, maybe I was sleep walking. By the way, you look gorgeous without makeup."

Asami smiled. "Don't change the subject. I was worried about you. Let me get you some water."

She got up and grabbed a cup, filling it with water from the sink. Before she could turn around, she saw Korra's reflection in the mirror standing behind her.

A dark hand slid across Asami's waist and lips caressed her shoulder, turning her on. Blues eyes looked back at her through the mirror.

"We do look good together, don't we? I don't blame you for choosing me," Korra said.

Asami recoiled slightly, feeling a chill creep up her spine. "You're being weird. Here, drink this water and come to bed."

"I'm sorry, baby. I guess I'm just nervous." Korra took the cup and drank it.

"It's OK, come here. I know what can help us both relax." Asami threaded her fingers with the Avatar's and led her to the canopied bed of their country home.

They were kissing on the way, making out and such. Asami leaned against the foot of the bed, legs straddling the Avatar. She undressed slowly, lowering one strap of her pink night gown to expose her creamy breast, then the other. The Avatar leaned in and suckled them, then she ripped the damn dress off Asami.

"That was my favorite nightgown!" Asami said, before cooing: "but I have another."

She bit Korra's ear as the Avatar's hands ran down her body.

"You are the perfect woman," Korra said.

"I want you to fuck me, if it's the last thing you do," Asami husked.

Korra took off her sweat pantaloons. Her expression changed suddenly, and she recoiled.

"What is it?" Asami sat up.

"I don't know what to, how to – "

"Don't be so hard on yourself. How many times do I have to tell you you've given me the best orgasms of my life? How about this?"

Asami wrapped her legs around Korra, bringing her in to lie on top of her, and flipped the Avatar over. She kissed the length of the other woman, starting from Korra's dark nipples and moving down the center of her chest and belly button until she reached the bush and went to town.

The Avatar bucked her hips and gripped the sheets and curled her toes and moaned loudly, feeling the heat building in her core until the final explosive release that redirected the ecstatic energy with her.

"Fuck!" The Avatar huffed, catching her breath. "That was the best orgasm of my life."

"Good, now get some rest," Asami said, peppering a few kisses on her. Then she yawned and crawled back to her side of the bed and fell asleep.

Korra made sure Asami was out cold before making her next move. She walked over to the closet and picked out an outfit – not the blue Avatar getup, but something for the city gal. She found a unisex suit, dapper but casual enough, and slicked her hair back. Then she tiptoed out the house and toward the car, where she started the engine and drove off into the night.

She made it to a night club known for its homosexual patrons and found a seat at the bar. Hushed and other nameless voices said things like "It's the Avatar," "Avatar Korra," "She's so hot," and "Check out those gams."

Korra looked at her own gams and couldn't help but agree. A woman approached, young and buzzed by look of her face and smell of her breath.

"My friend and I made a bet. I said you're the Avatar, and she said you're not – because you're not wearing your Water Tribe outfit."

The Avatar noticed the woman by the jukebox the one in front of her had just mentioned.

"And what happens if you win?" Korra smiled.

"If I win, then I get to talk to the Avatar," the other girl stuttered nervously.

Sensing her nerves, Korra said reassuringly: "I am the Avatar."

"Wow!" The girl could hardly look at her as she added: "All these people would line up to fuck you."

"What if I all I require is a kiss?"

"From me?"

Korra nodded. "Privately. No audience though."

"OK."

The girl followed Korra out the back to a dark alley. They started kissing passionately. After about five minutes, the girl finally pulled away and asked "Aren't you with Asami Sato?"

"Yeah, so?" The Avatar kissed the young woman along her neck. Then she grabbed the girl's wrists with one hand and lifted them up against the wall, continuing her kisses and nibbles at every bit of exposed skin. She continued: "It's a blood moon, by the way."

"What's that supposed to mean?" the girl moaned, her panties getting wetter by the second.

"It means I wanna try something, but it's kind of important."

"What?"

"Well in order to do that, I'll need something – to seal the deal."

The girl giggled. "You're not making any sense. What do you need?"

"A sacrifice."

The girl opened her eyes, fear washing over her. "What kind of sacrifice?"

The Avatar had stopped kissing the girl and looked into her eyes before leaning in and whispering in her ear: "Blood. Yours will do."

Inhaling the cool night air, the girl went to scream but was muffled by the Avatar's strong hand. She struggled but Korra had bent the earth to lock around the girl's legs and hold her arms in place above her head.

From a puddle on the ground, Korra bent a water dagger and held it at the girl's throat. She bent the girl's hand toward her, wrist ensconced in rock, and moved the dagger to prick her finger. Blood gushed out and Korra sucked it, closing her eyes until she opened them again and they were bloodshot red and glowing.

Piss ran down the girl's leg.

"Are you afraid?" Korra said, wiping her lips.

The girl nodded.

"Because I can taste it." The Avatar gripped the girl's neck and prepared to squeeze until she was knocked over.

"Please, A-Avatar. Please don't hurt me." The girl was crying. She had been completely humiliated.

"No," Korra said, writhing on the concrete. She looked up at the girl "I won't. I'll never..."

Korra's consciousness was struggling to remain in control, despite a dark force within her trying to steer her actions. In a lapse, she went back to the girl who cowered, still a prisoner. She motioned to grab the girl's neck but moved her hand to slam into the wall, crashing a hole through it.

Unbending the earth that held the girl in place, Korra yelled "Run!" as she continued the struggle within her. The girl ran off into the night.

"Chai Son, I know it's you!" She was changing faces, back and forth from her possessor to her.

The conversation with herself continued like this, Korra fighting with all her being to remain in control of herself while her eyes shifted from red to white and back to blue. She clutched her core and fell to the ground.

"In a few days, no one will want to associate with you – you'll be public enemy number one. That's worst-case scenario. Best case – you'll perish once and for all lifetimes," Korra's voice said in an altered tone, Chai Son's visage appearing in the puddle.

"What's that gotta do with you?"

"Everything, my dear. Now, what are your fears? Wait, don't tell me. I feel them. Scary movers – vampyres and zombies. Let's see what else? Ooh! Jackpot."

"No!" Korra squirmed. "Don't say it, please!"

"Did you know that during this special time, you can make your inner world your outer world?"

"Inside I feel light! Inside I'm good! I'm the Avatar!" Korra yelled. "I have a responsibility."

She laughed menacingly. "Don't be pathetic. By the way, Avatar, now I know what a woman's pleasure feels like, thanks to your Asami."

"You're disgusting, you brute! If I ever see you again, I swear to the spirits, I'll--" Korra replied to herself.

"But wait, what's that deep, dark fear of yours again? Aside from losing Asami – sheesh who would have thought the Avatar was so insecure? But what was it? Oh yes – yourself."

Something clicked within Korra and she hurled herself against the wall and held a flame dagger to her own neck. "That's right. If I end myself now, it'll take away your power before you or I can do any real damage."

Korra felt her spirit getting stronger with every passing moment, the hold of herself regaining center. She realized Chai Son or whoever possessed her made a grave error in helping her realize a little more of herself, strengthening her spirit.

"Do you know why I was chosen to be the Avatar?" Korra – the real Korra – continued. "It's because of my spirit."

Silence.

Korra continued: "Therefore I banish you! I banish you Chai Son from controlling my spirit! I banish you! Now begone!"

Falling over and taking heaving breaths, Korra pushed an unwanted force out of her until it disappeared into the ether.

Exhausted from her self-imposed exorcism, she passed out in the alleyway, face-planting in the dirty puddle.

When Korra awoke, it was twilight the following evening. How she slept unbothered for the rest of the night through the next day was beyond her.

The moon hung low in the sky appearing to kiss the skyscrapers.

Quickly, Korra's thoughts gathered steam: I need to get out of here, restrain myself, get far away, tell someone, I need to...

Korra fell to her knees, clutching the road as if it were soft dirt, and tilted her head back. A beam of pink light shot out of her mouth and through her eyes, penetrating the night sky toward the moon like a laser beam.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Up next: Showdown
> 
> And... the denouement


	32. Showdown

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Penultimate chapter to this little longfic

During the day, Asami, Kuvira and the rest prepared for the worst, with President Zhu Li Moon issuing an executive order for Republic City residents to tunnel underground until it was deemed safe. Gathering up their family photos and survival kits, denizens followed emergency protocols that had been set in place following the destruction Harmonic Convergence and Kuvira’s insurrection left in their wake. Republic City was no stranger to catastrophe, and as president, Zhu Li saw to it that badger moles create (and expand upon) the elaborate underground tunnel systems for quick and safe exit. 

Prince Wu, who happened to be in town for leisurely affairs, rode around with Mako and Varrick warning the stragglers and folks without homes. They had hoped to find Korra or Chai Son in their task but no avail. 

There were some who refused to tunnel or leave their posts, saying it was a government sham. There were others who wanted to protect their precious dignity – if this was their end then so be it, but in the while, they drank tea. And there were others who stayed behind to protect their homes from robbers and desperate people. Likewise, police security forces protected assets throughout the city.

The sky was filled with an ominous foreboding – it was unassuming, clear aside from the rising moon and brilliant sun. 

Varrick, who sat in the back of the car with his arms splayed across the top of the bench seat, was checking out Wu’s princely attire, rich fabrics in various shades of green with his golden brooch at the left breast. He had been poised to be King after his aunt, the Queen, was assassinated by Zaheer, but now he remained a figurehead, a relic and symbol. Which suited him fine.

“Nice threads,” Varrick said, twirling his mustache.

“Heyyy, thanks! Designed by THE best of Ba Sing Se. I’ll hook you up.” Wu made a gesture with his hand to emphasize his point. “By the way, same to you! Who’s your designer?”

“As a matter of fact, I designed and made it.” Varrick pulled out a card and handed it to Wu. “A sort of passion project of mine.”

Wu read: “Varrick Fashions. Very nice.” He pocketed the card.

“Will you guys stop talking about fashion right now? We need to focus,” Mako said behind the wheel.

“Awe, you’re so cute when you’re frustrated.” Wu leaned in and pinched Mako’s cheek.

Mako swiped Wu’s hand away, swerving the car in the process. “Cut it out!” 

Varrick raised an eyebrow as he watched their banter and Mako’s blushing cheeks. He chuckled quietly to himself and was about to say something when a thought struck him.

“I have an idea of where Chai Son might be. It’s a hunch, but then again I’m a genius,” Varrick pointed a finger in the air.

“Where?!” Mako said.

“In the tunnels.” 

“But that could be anywhere,” Wu chimed in.

“Could be. Or… Mako, take a left at the next light – NOW!” Varrick gripped the backs of the front seats as Mako swerved. When they stabilized, he continued: “There’s another tunnel system. A secret tunnel!”

“You better be right,” Mako said, adding, “We don’t have time to waste.”

Varrick shook his head. “Oh Mako… It’s OK, I like you anyway. Now, onward ho!” He pointed ahead.

“By the way,” Mako had wanted to get this off of his chest. “Why were you involved with them in the first place?”

“I told you – the money.” Varrick crossed his arms and slumped into his seat. “To be honest, I considered Chai Son young friend. I genuinely thought he was a good kid that had been dealt a bad hand. Turns out, I’m a bad judge of character.”

“Probably because you hang around folks that do a lot of bad things, so it’s become normal,” Mako said.

“Not always – some of us do good too,” Varrick said. “I don’t know about the super dark secret stuff – or if I ever did, I’d never tell you for fear of my, Zhu Li, and our future family’s safety.”

Mako glanced in rearview mirror. “But you do know that bootlegging is illegal – and the degree you and Chai Son did it. This could cause a huge scandal. You’re the first gentleman!”

Varrick’s twisted his face to an ugly cry. “I didn’t mean to hurt anybody! I just like money that’s all.”

After a pause, Mako replied: “I believe you. But that doesn’t change the fact that you enabled and abetted someone like Chai Son.”

“I know. Are you going to turn me in?” Varrick said weakly, looking at his feet.

“You’re going to turn yourself in – to your wife,” Mako said. “And then you’re going to give it up.”

“That’s fair,” Varrick sniffled. “But I’m surprised you’re not arresting me.”

“That’s not my job anymore.” Mako looked over to Wu, who winked back at him.

“Mako’s gonna be my body guard. Turns out, I get death threats, like, on the regular, and I need someone strong enough to protect me. By the way, it won’t be totally bad if you go to jail, even for a little while. You would come out the other end with street cred, and your popularity would skyrocket.” Whu Shrugged, “Wouldn’t be the first time.”

“Leave it to Wu to see the brighter side of things.” Mako rolled his eyes.

But the idea didn’t seem so bad to Varrick after all. At any rate, he didn’t have time to explore it further because they made it to their destination.

“In there,” Varrick pointed to a restaurant in Fire Town. 

“In the restaurant?” Wu said.

“No, silly, the secret tunnel underneath. I’ll bet my wedding ring he’s in there.”

*

Meantime, much of the extended Team Avatar was in tow, meeting at Sato Tower for debriefing.

Tenzin brought in his posse from Air Temple Island, including Bolin and Sanyu. The kids, Ikki and Meelo, were ordered to stay home and take care of Pema, their baby brother Rohan, and the rest of the acolytes. They all reported back to Sato Tower, where the core team had plotted and planned for the unknown.

“I wish Kya and Lin were here,” Bolin said, looking out at the moon behind the spirit portal from the view of Asami’s office. “We need all the water and earthbenders we can get.”

“Someone say Kyalin?” Kya, a zesty older Water Tribe woman with long silver hair, entered the room with Lin behind her. 

She walked over to Tenzin and squeezed his hand: “Hello, baby brother.”

“Kya… Lin. Glad you could join us after your little getaway,” Tenzin said awkwardly. He wasn’t quite used to his ex and his sister dating yet, but there wasn’t time to dwell on it. 

“And right on time it appears,” Kya said.

Lin stood there silently brooding with her arms crossed. She wore a three-quarter length trench coat with pointed shoulder pads; her graying hair sat neatly in a bun and scars swished across her right cheek.

“Is this all we’ve got?” Lin gruffed. “What about the police?”

“Kuvira, Asami and… Opal are on the roof,” Bolin said. 

Sanyu, who was standing next to Bolin noticed his slight hesitancy at saying her name but didn’t react.

“The police are out there protecting what they deem important,” Tenzin said, though President Moon sent some of her security forces to back us up.

Bolin shook his head. “You guys, this is Korra we’re talking about. She’s our friend.”

“And the most dangerous person on the planet,” Lin added. 

“I love Korra like the rest of us, trust me I do, but we have to do what’s right. I can feel the power of the harvest moon surging through my veins.” Kya looked at the back of her hands outstretched before her. 

“Me too,” Lin said.

“And me,” Bolin agreed. “It feels like I drank turbo bending juice.”

“Imagine what Korra must be going through,” Tenzin said.

“I don’t think any of us really can,” Sanyu replied, and they all relented quietly.

On the roof, Kuvira, Asami, Opal, and Bae discussed strategy with Bumi and Kai. 

“I need access to gold, and fast,” Kuvira said. 

“Is this not enough?” Asami looked down at a hunk of gold – she had haphazardly collected her own stash, dumping it into an accumulating pile on the ground. 

Kuvira bent a shiny pair of handcuffs from the ground and dangled them with one finger. “This won’t be enough to contain the Avatar.”

“That’s Varrick’s, by the way.” Asami blushed.

“Sure.” Bae winked. “If there’s one thing I learned since traveling with Kuvira is: Y’all a bunch of freaks.”

“At any rate, it doesn’t solve our dilemma. And we’re running out of time.” Kuvira turned to face Asami directly. “I need to know where the gold is kept in this city – the bank vaults.”

“Kuvira, I don’t know –”

“We don’t have another choice!” Opal slammed her fist in her hand.

“It’s true,” Kai chimed in. “We need more than this. Way more.”

Bumi had been silent throughout the discussion. Asami turned to him. “What do you think?”

He shrugged.

“Thanks for your input.” Asami massaged her temple. “OK – I’ll tell you. There’s a vault in the heart of the city, heavily guarded, practically impenetrable. It houses gold of the richest in the world, Chai Son among them, as well as… me.”

“Great, take us there,” Kuvira said.

Asami hesitated, considering what she was about to give up, when from the distance they saw a luminous pink beam rising toward the moon. The ground shook violently beneath them, and a tidal wave rose and crashed down against the shore, swallowing up much of the infrastructure in its path.

The group stopped what they were doing and looked on in shock. It was all happening.

Bolin rushed to the rooftop holding binoculars. “Uh, guys. We’ve got trouble.”

“Can I see?” Opal walked over to Bolin who handed her the binocs. They gave each other a look and a silent nod, Opal mouthing “thank you” and smiling, and Bolin reciprocating.

Kuvira observed their interaction but wasn’t concerned. Opal didn’t betray signs of romance toward Bolin nor the other way around. It appeared as if there had been closure between them to some degree.

Opal looked through the binoculars toward the light. Korra was nearly unrecognizable – her eyes glowed pink and her veins popped out of her oversized muscles, gams exposed beneath her ripped pantaloons. She thrashed around the buildings in a whirlwind of elements; it appeared as if she was fighting something, though no other entity was spotted in her midst. 

“Oh spirits!” Opal exclaimed.

“Korra’s going all ‘Avatar smash’ throughout the city!” Bolin said urgently.

“We’ve got to move – now!” Kuvira looked at Asami, who found resolve once the reality of Korra hit her once again.

“Understood. Then I have no other choice – Let’s hit it.” Asami motioned to go as the others rushed out and took their positions, heading off to their respective posts.

Kuvira bent the gold from the ground into a sphere which hovered behind her.

Bae, meantime, took over binocular duty and, with walkie talkie in hand, planted herself on the roof and acted as a lookout.

They were rushing to action when Asami stopped abruptly, blocking Kuvira’s path down the stairwell. She made sure the others had gone ahead.

“Yes?” Kuvira said.

Asami’s face was stern. “I want to let you know – if you kill Korra, I’ll kill you.” Without another word, she turned and continued down the stairs, not bothering to look back. The former Great Uniter said nothing and followed her. Smiling to herself, Kuvira thought Korra a lucky woman to get a gal like Asami.

Hopping in the driver’s seat of her convertible, CEO of Future Industries and richest woman in the world, Asami Sato revved her engine as Kuvira, Opal, and Bumi joined her. They sped off, following the money.

*

Asami drove like the wind, wheels barely hitting the ground it seemed to get to the bank, an unassuming, yet heavily guarded building. They circled it, keeping their distance before parking behind a nearby industrial building.

“That’s the bank. In there, you’ll find what you’re looking for,” Asami turned to her co-conspirators.

“Yes, I can feel the gold buzzing deep below. Are you sure you want to do this?” Kuvira decided to ask, though she planned to continue the heist either way.

Asami sighed and looked Kuvira dead in the eyes. “Anything to save Korra. Besides, a girl has a right to steal her own gold, doesn’t she?”

“I don’t think it works like that,” Opal said, though she knew Asami had tried to add levity to a grave situation. “And besides, what about security?”

Asami agreed. “It’s the most heavily guarded facility in Republic City. As you saw, security forces – mostly metalbenders – are guarding money rather than keeping people safe.”

“Shows what they think is most valuable,” Bumi said. He scratched his mutton chop. “So how we busting in then?”

Kuvira smiled. “Who said anything about busting in?”

The others gave Kuvira a look, who continued: “Airbenders, I need you to swat the metalbending flies out of my face, so I can concentrate. Asami, prepare the getaway, and do what you do best. They nodded and pulled in closer to the entrance. 

Guards were pacing the front, looking off in the distance at the Avatar’s rage and preparing for whatever onslaught she brought with her.

They didn’t expect two airbenders, a CEO, and the former Great Uniter to amble up four abreast. 

One metalbender pointed at them: “You should be underground!”

“Hey strong guys, I need to make a quick withdrawal. It shouldn’t take long,” Asami said calmly, swinging her hips and pouting her lips as she slowly approached.

“Bank’s closed,” The guard said. “So you can stop right there and turn around.”

Meantime, Kuvira planted her feet, gathering her chi while Bumi and Opal flanked her. 

The ground beneath them shook and a rumbling emanated from the building. Half the guards abruptly turned to face the entrance, unsure where the threat came from.

“W-what’s going on?” Another one of the guards said. They all looked and dressed alike, but surely they were men with lives and perhaps families.

Regardless, in this moment, they were only one thing to Kuvira and her team of bank bandits: In the way.

Kuvira swelled her arms up and became a maestro, turning all the gold to liquid in the vaults and forming soldiers three quarters the size of an average human. The platinum walls of the bank ripped open and out marched a golden army resembling mini versions of the giant mecha Kuvira had manufactured to take over Republic City, sans spirit canon. 

Incredulous, the guards tried to contain the small soldiers by metalbending ropes around them. The golden troops grabbed the metal and yanked, bringing in the guards and knocking them out with golden fisticuffs. 

One of the guards wised up and noticed what Kuvira was doing, controlling the gold like a puppeteer. 

“That woman! Stop her!!” The guard pointed. 

A group of metalbenders rushed Kuvira and the rest. Opal and Bumi coordinated a powerful gale that spiraled into a long skinny tunnel like a whip that knocked the guards off their feet.

“Let’s go,” Kuvira said, just as Asami pulled up in the getaway car.

The gold molded together once more and turned to liquid, which trailed the Satomobile as it sped toward Korra. 

Opal looked back at the glimmering trail of gold like a rushing river that followed them. “Wait, why did you turn the gold into little soldiers when you could have just siphoned it out?”

Kuvira shrugged. “I like to make a statement.”

The rest of the team was already there trying to control the chaos; it was like calming an all-powerful temper-tantrummed child, nearly impossible once the kid becomes swept up in their emotions. 

Asami pulled up next to where she saw Mako and his unit. Mako’s hair was disheveled and his sleeves rolled up, revealing a scar from a burn mark covering his forearm. He appeared out of breath as he fought beside Bolin and Sanyu to try to take Korra out without hurting her. In reality, they were just making her more upset. Kuvira, observing this, thought they were too soft, that to stop the Avatar they couldn’t hold back.

With her eyes and mouth glowing in the Avatar state, Korra continued to thrash and fight something that seemingly wasn’t there, reaping destruction in her path. Another tidal wave swept over the city, and Kya and Lin did the best damage control they could muster. Kya, in her blood moon strength, stopped the wave mid-flight and pushed it back toward the ocean, trying her best to stop it from swinging right back like a pendulum. Likewise, Lin and Bolin lifted an earth barrier nearly the size of the Great Wall of Ba Sing Se, effectively creating a dam.

Fortunately for the rest, Korra’s firebending appeared weaker than her water and earthbending, which could have burned the whole of Republic City down faster than Kya and the other available waterbenders could drown it, not without a few unagis anyway.

Kuvira steadied herself, bending the gold into two long braided chains. The darkness had settled in, though the moon illuminated a dreamy haze about the scene, light glinting off her golden chains and vestments. She prepared to launch herself toward Korra when a man’s voice called her name.

“Kuvira! My enemy!”

She turned around to see a broad-shouldered man with wavy hair limping toward her. 

The man continued, “For years, I’ve wait for this mom—”

She bent a slat of metal over his mouth while two other slats bound his hands and feet. Kuvira hadn’t even bothered to use gold. “I have many enemies and am quite busy at the moment… so grab a number and get in line!”

She made a motion with her hand that sent Chai Son flying to a nearby metal post, cuffs melding to it.

“Uh, Kuvira,” Varrick said from behind his car. He was hiding behind it with Wu next to him. They weren’t hiding from Korra as much as from Kuvira. “That was Chai Son. He just escaped from our grasp, so thanks for wrangling him up again.”

“Chai Son?” Kuvira had no idea who that was.

“The guy who did this to Korra!” Wu yelled before ducking once more behind the car.

“Well, that changes things,” Kuvira said. 

Her eyes were wild as she lifted her arm, flinging Chai Son toward her to hover with his hands in the air. 

“What did you do to Korra?!” Kuvira did all she could to control her rage.

“I didn’t – I was merely the catalyst. She’s too strong for me to control – or Raavaatu. The others, however, I don’t know. I’ve been expelled.” Chai Son lowered his head before looking up once more and staring back at Kuvira with contempt. “You! You did this to me. It’s all your fault! I believed in you, I followed you, and you threw me away! Once again, I’ve got nothing to lose.”

“Except your dignity,” Kuvira seethed, adding: “And your life.” 

She bent a piece of scrap metal to entwine around Chai Son like a snake, hugging him tighter, choking the life out of him. His eyes bulged out their sockets, meeting Kuvira’s steely gaze as she made a squeezing motion with her hand.

“Kuvira stop it!” Opal yelled from behind. “Are you not a gold bender now? Then act like one!”

Kuvira glanced over her shoulder at Opal and lowered Chai Son, slightly loosening her grip. She unraveled the metal and Chai Son fell to the ground, clutching his neck and heaving for air.

When he finally regained footing, Kuvira bent a golden glove and backhanded Chai Son across his face, causing him to go down. She turned to Opal, shrugged.

“I didn’t mind it,” Asami interjected. “And now on to more important matters.”

“Go team!” Wu yelled from behind the car. 

“You two, watch over Chai Son. And don’t let him get away this time!” Mako yelled to Wu and Varrick. 

“Got it!” Varrick said. 

“Don’t you just love it when bad guys are hot?” Wu added, following Varrick to swoop up Chai Son, who had been knocked out cold.

“Do you mean Chai Son or Kuvira?” Varrick dragged Chai Son by the shoulders with great effort. 

“Both,” Wu said, struggling to assist – they were both weak to carry that big lump of a man.

Varrick nodded. “Makes for a great mover, that’s for sure!”

Over yonder, Kuvira continued her plight, winding up the golden reins and propelling herself from sky scraper to skyscraper, until she reached Korra. Swinging one of the ropes like a lasso, she hooked onto Korra’s ankle and yanked her down hard toward the ground. 

Korra came down with a crash; the ground shook and cracked from the impact, causing debris and dust to fly up in the air. 

Moments later, the Avatar raised herself up with airbending, though before she could register what was going on, Kuvira came in with golden fisticuffs, punching Korra across the jaw and in the chest and abs. 

The Avatar fell back but once again recovered just as quickly, turning to Kuvira and doing a hand-to-elbow-to-knee-to-foot dance. Though Korra seemed blinded by semi-consciousness in the Avatar State, she fought Kuvira elegantly and powerfully.

Kuvira had never seen raw, poetic power like this, Korra not needing to think but acting and reflecting on pure feeling. Unfortunately, the feeling appeared to be rage.

The former Great Uniter managed to land a gold-plated elbow on Korra’s button that sent her flying backward. That’s when she used more gold to wrap Korra up tightly, though Korra’s brute strength was hard to contain even with soft metals.

Mako stepped in and lent a scarred hand, gathering up his chi and bending lightning into the golden lasso. His lightning traveled along the lasso and struck Korra, sending her flailing.

“You’re killing her! Asami yelled, though she stopped to silently gape at Korra, whose spirit swelled around her, a towering giant. But the spirit didn’t resemble the one that faced UnaVaatu during Harmonic Convergence. It was Korra’s giant shadow spirit with her disheveled braids and chains hanging down from her ankles.

“What’s happening?” Kuvira called to the others.

“If I had to guess, I’d say we made it worse!” Mako exclaimed. 

“She’s manifesting her fears! The longer she keeps it up, the more chaos she creates, the blurrier the boundaries between worlds. And after a point, not even the waning gibbous moon can stop her!” Chai Son yelled from the car. He had awoken once more and appeared to come unhinged as their prisoner. 

The giant body left Korra in the rubble, and she fell down. She was regular sized now, but her eyes still glowed pink.

“Uh guys,” Bolin said, sweat beading from his brow. “As if giant dark spirit Korra wasn’t enough, look around.”

The extended Team Avatar were horrified to see rotting undead creatures and dark spirts limping toward them.

“It’s zombies!” Bolin exclaimed, bending up two piles of rocks and forming spinning lava saws. 

“From the mover we saw!” Asami added, scanning the perimeter.

Mako had weakened fire daggers protruding from his hands as the rest of the team kept their backs to each other and the circled around to further assess the situation.

“I’m going to take care of Korra,” Kuvira yelled. She couldn’t break her focus.

Korra, meantime was passed out in the dirt crater she formed while giant spirit Korra stomped around. Kuvira bent all of the gold into a giant mound that formed a golden mecha nearly the size of dark spirit Korra. Bobbing and weaving, Kuvira danced around, shadow boxing while her giant golden warrior followed her movements, knocking Korra’s giant spirit body over with an immense crash that make the ground shake. 

Kuvira braced herself for round two but was swarmed by zombies, having to redirect her focus to take care of them.

The airbenders: Tenzin, Kai, Bumi, Opal, and Sanyu sent powerful gusts of winds in the direction of the zombies, sending them flying.

Meantime, Bolin and Mako tag-teamed another group of zombies, Mako slicing them with a fire sword he fashioned and Bolin throwing spinning lava discs. The discs spun like a boomerang through scores of zombies, beheading all of them and causing them to crumble to dust.

“Whoa, nice bro!” Mako said.

Bolin was surprised by his own power. “Yeah, if we make it through this, we could be some kind of brothers fighting supernatural forces together. Get a cool car, travel around. And one of us would have a questionable sexuality that keeps people speculating, but that’s OK.”

“How about we just focus on staying alive, alright Bo?” Mako stuck his flaming sword through a zombie’s heart. It caught fire and burned to dust.

“Sounds good!” Bolin said, taking out a few score more.

The radio in Asami’s car sounded Bae’s voice: “Looks like there’s trouble. Some sort of undead zombies and other sexy vampyres – straight outta the movers – headed your way. Over.”

“Thanks but you’re a little late,” Asami yelled, doing flips and shocking zombies, who were only momentarily discombobulated by the tasing.

“Wait, did she say ‘sexy vampyres?” Bolin said. “These are all ugly and rotting, and the spirts are hovering around. Oh wait, never mind.”

From the distance a bunch of sexy vampyres with pale skin and svelte bodies and pouty lips, having freshly sucked the blood of security guards and other stragglers on the surface, swooped in.

“What do we do? Korra’s fears are manifesting faster than we can take them out. Not to mention the dark spirits!” Mako exclaimed, he was beginning to get desperate.

“Why are the vampyres sexy?” Bolin said but realized the answer just as soon, being in the mover business and all. “Wait, never mind, I get it.”

The darks spirits encircled them, along with the vampyres and zombies. 

“Hey guys, wanna see a trick?” Kya said. She looked at Tenzin and Bumi, winked. “Don’t tell Mom.”

Kya inhaled deeply and positioned herself as a puppeteer. Using the strength of the blood moon, she bent all of the vampyres into submission, their bodies contorting and falling to the ground.

“Cool! I knew you were stronger than you let on,” Bumi said.  
Tenzin’s mouth was agape. “How many secrets have you been keeping from me?”

“Besides this and my relationship with Lin? A lot,” Kya continued, keeping the vampyres into submission and forcing them to walk into Mako’s fire. 

Mako groaned as he swung. “My power’s weak, but it’s still working, so that’s the important part.”

Next was Sanyu’s turn to shine. She jumped to a spot with a high vantage point and inhaled deeply before breathing out a lullaby. Her voice carried with the wind, reaching pitches beyond human ears that seemed to sway the spirits who bopped back and forth, slowly transforming from darker to lighter shades of translucent blue.

Sanyu continued to sing as the spirits formed a line and traveled back toward the Spirit Portal. Bolin, having watched the whole affair, was spellbound. He knew Sanyu could sing but he had no idea of the power of her voice. Sanyu floated down and guided the spirits toward the portal. 

She stopped and turned to Bolin to say, “Something I picked up,” before continuing her song.

Bumi folded his arms. “I could have done that with my flute.”

“I doubt it,” Asami said, rolling her eyes.

“What? I could have,” Bumi shrugged. BumJun made a sound. “See? BumJun agrees.”

Korra stirred, holding her hand to her head before shaking it off. Her eyes still glowed pink. Above them, the dark Korra spirit stood in silent waiting, hovering over the Avatar.

Before Kuvira could decide whether to focus on Korra or the dark Korra spirit, the real Korra shot up toward her shadow spirit, using the ground as ramp to launch herself. She landed on the rooftop and bent the massive chains around shadow spirit Korra’s ankles, knocking it over once more and dragging it along Fifth Avenue toward the ocean.

“Let me help you,” Kuvira called, bending golden chains and helping haul the shadow spirit. 

Lin and Kya parted the dam and water respectively as Korra and Kuvira made their way. 

They walked deep into the bed of the ocean. On either side of them was a giant wall of sea water, fish and sea life swimming about next to them. 

Finally, Korra turned toward the shore and, overpowering Kya, brought the walls of the water in around her, Kuvira, and the shadow spirit.

The zombies, vampyres, and dark spirits disappeared or crumbled to dust.

“No!” Kya called, tears streaming down her face.

Lin embraced her, kissing her temple. “It’s OK. There was nothing you could do.”

Asami fell to her knees, unable to register what she just witnessed. 

“Korra!” Mako yelled, preparing to jump into the water and save her.

“Wait! You guys – look!” Opal exclaimed, pointing to a spot in the water that was bubbling. 

A giant golden egg floated up, up, upward like the invisible line of a finger pointed toward the moon. Korra and Kuvira were cocooned inside with Kuvira bending them upward.

As they climbed, the inside of the egg became hot and Kuvira realized it was Korra in her Avatar State heating up, going haywire. 

The power that surged through Kuvira during this Harvest Moon was unlike anything she ever felt in her life; briefly, she pondered the earth, its gravity and where it was exactly space began and earth ended because it wasn’t the ground. 

She bent them higher, passing through a dark cloud in the sky. Crouching in the fetal position, Korra let out a loud wail and broke free from the egg, sending thousands, millions of tiny pieces of gold flying everywhere.

It took all of Kuvira’s control and training to catch the pieces mid-air and float them gently to the ground; otherwise, they would have shot down like golden shrapnel.

They floated down, Kuvira using her arm to keep herself steady and Korra using all the powers of the four elements, plus spirit. Gold glittered around them, showering the city. 

Kuvira steadied herself, unsure of what to do next but prepared for the worst. Forming two golden daggers and tiny needles, she positioned them in the air toward Korra’s acupressure points. Despite what some assumed, Kuvira had not planned to kill Korra; she planned to take the Avatar’s bending. 

But Asami had other plans.

As Korra lowered to the ground, Asami approached. She wrapped her arms around her Avatar, cradling her and kissing her cheek, her forehead, her nose. 

Korra closed her glowing eyes and opened them again to reveal a sea of water blues looking at Asami, her love. She grabbed Asami’s hand and squeezed it delicately, smiling weakly.

Asami never let go of Korra’s eyes on hers as she stroked her hair. They needn’t say any words, their faces and bodies and hearts said it for them.

Kuvira lowered her weapons. It was over it seemed. 

Rain fell gently at first, then harder as grey clouds swooped in, obscuring the moon. Korra pointed it toward it, smiling weakly at Asami. 

“Asami, I’m sorry,” Korra said softly. “I broke the city.”

“Shh, baby. It’s OK.” Asami kissed her lover’s lips, tears falling on them along with the rain. She smiled into Korra’s mouth. “Thought I was gonna have to kill Kuvira for a minute.”

“You’d do that for me?” Korra chuckled.

“You have no idea,” Asami replied, not bothering to mention her fortune, along with the richest in the world, surrounded them like stars sprinkling the Earth. 

“So shall we lie here longer, in the rain, with everybody watching, because I’m perfectly fine with that?” Asami cooed. 

Korra smiled. She went to reply but before she could get any words out, a portal opened below Korrasami, sucking them in. The portal closed, and they were gone.

It happened suddenly, and everyone was looking around – confused about at what just happened, except for Mako.

“Over there! The librarian! He did it!!” Mako pointed behind a parked car that had been more or less demolished amidst the chaos. 

The librarian, wearing green tweed and glasses stepped out from behind the car, holding his hands in the air and his chin up.

“Yes, I did it.” He said resolutely, before continuing. “It’s still the blood moon. We don’t know if she’ll get riled up again, and if she does we could all die!”

Kuvira lifted her hand and sent metal flying around his neck, bringing him closer.

“Bring. Them. Back.” 

“Or what? You’ll kill me? Then you’ll never get them back,” the librarian choked.

Defeated, she dropped him. 

Tenzin approached. “Tie him up. Bind his hands so he can’t create any more portals.”

Kuvira bound him tightly to make sure he was only comfortable enough to answer questions.

“The truth is I don’t hate the Avatar,” the librarian was propped up against a car. “I saw this as the best choice. In the morning, I’ll release them.”

“But you don’t know the chaos it could cause,” Tenzin said, trying and failing to control his anger. “Or what could happen to them!”

“Did you say they could go crazy – or worse?” Mako fell back. 

“In there, there’s nothing. A moment is like an eternity,” the librarian said remorsefully. “A private hell or purgatory or whatever religious or cultural lens you care to put on it.”

“So what about hours or days?” Kuvira said.

The librarian said nothing, and the sky slowly shifted around them. Everyone around had hardly noticed that the world turned grey, no more vibrant colors, no dark, no light. Just shades of grey.

Kuvira blinked and caught it. “The world – it’s not the same. Everything is dulled. Can’t you all see it?”

She looked at her arm, which no longer shined. Everyone followed suit, some shook their heads and others, like Kai and Kya exclaimed “Yeah!”

Kuvira could guess the danger – the longer they lived like this, the more normal it would become. She turned to the librarian.

“I need you to bring them back. Now!” She demanded.

The sun was rising but it was dull. The world resembled a pencil sketch. Looking around, the librarian realized his actions could only get worse with time.

“OK, I’ll do it, but I might regret it later. Or I might not be alive,” he relented.

“We’re willing to take that chance,” Tenzin said sternly.

They unbound the librarian, who planted his feet and moved his hands in circular movements like an airbender, though his stance was distinctly that of an earthbender. 

The pocket dimension reopened and there appeared Korra, naked and perfectly muscled with a naked Asami cradled in her arms bridal style. The dawn became flush once again with color, and Korrasami emanated a soft glow ahead of the rising sun. 

*

Korra felt Asami breathing into her nape as she held her. It was the softest comfort of her adult life. The warmth of her heart radiated and it took several minutes for the dust to settle in her mind and around them before she realized they were naked in front of all of their friends and some of their foes.

She put Asami down and they stood side by side, holding hands. 

“Korra, Asami!” Mako called, running toward them. He wrapped them in blankets he had grabbed from his car. 

“Everyone, give them space.” Tenzin addressed the folks around him as he went to assess the situation. 

Mako took a step back and Tenzin approached cautiously once more, though the women didn’t appear to be a threat, merely confused.

Asami was in a daze, silent. She could only nod yes and no to questions about her life that Tenzin posed.

Korra, meantime, looked around and recognized the face of her friend staring back at her – Kuvira. She smiled before returning her gaze to Asami, whose messy hair and unmade up face made her look wildly beautiful.

A shiver ran up Korra’s spine and her chest tightened. She felt light-headed. 

“That’s my wife,” were the first words Korra uttered since coming to.

Bolin approached, tears streaming down his cheeks. “I’m so happy you guys are alive! And that you’re not all evil or feral or stark raving mad…. Um why is that again?”

Tenzin reprimanded Bolin. “Don’t bombard them with difficult questions like that yet.” Though to be honest, he was also curious.

“No, it’s OK,” Korra replied, as the confusion continued to wear off. “I think we misunderstood. We were stuck in there and it felt like a moment and eternity all in one. But the thing is…” She turned to Asami, taking her hands. “I spent eternity with you, Asami, and it felt… good. Warm. It felt like love.” 

The mutual revelation sent both their hearts soaring, and tears collected about their eyes.

Tenzin stroked his beard, and the librarian, who was tied up once again, offered an explanation. 

“Oh dear, I fear I’ve been wrong this whole time. Had I sent her in the pocket the dimension while she was in a rage, she could have gotten stuck like that. Even after the waning moon, she would have come back and destroyed the world.” The librarian lifted his bound hands. “Take me away. I’ve disgraced Republic City.”

“Gladly,” Mako said, crossing his arms.

*

They were assessing the damage as city dwellers emerged from the tunnels to an unexpected sight. 

Korra had destroyed or flooded many homes that lined the shore. Rubble splayed across the city where chunks of skyscrapers had been sloughed off like dead skin during Korra’s rage. Fallen debris had dented and depressed cars. 

The city was amess, but all of this was standard fair by now. What wasn’t, however, were the specks and clumps of gold sprinkled about the city, lighting it up in a dazzling display that shimmered in the sun.

An old man with a rickety back grabbed a piece and bit it with the few remaining teeth in his mouth. 

“It’s gold!” he exclaimed with his tiny withering lungs, before slipping the piece in his breast pocket and ambling off.

Folks all around began plucking the gold from the ground. Soon it became a city-wide treasure hunt, and everybody had their turn.

Seeing this, Kuvira smiled slyly, folding her arms behind her back. Opal joined her, hooking one arm into Kuvira’s and leaning her head against it.

“We did it,” Opal said quietly, still in awe of what had transpired.

“Asami did,” Kuvira replied.

Asami, meantime, was enrapt with Korra. It hadn’t struck her to care about her fortune. She had her diamond; the warm body next to hers was all she wanted.

Korrasami walked hand in hand overseeing the cleanup and came upon Chai Son lying in the rubble. He had again tried to escape but was crushed by fallen debris.

“Asami, Avatar Korra,” Chai Son choked. His face appeared chalky from the dirt but he was sweating, so it clung to him all sticky-like.

The couple stopped, looked down at the pathetic display. 

“Yes?” The Avatar said.

Chai Son coughed before continuing. “Did I tell you how I conquered my fear?”

“No, and we don’t care,” Asami replied.

Chai Son pressed on, taking heaving breaths as he spoke. “I had a phobia of driving after the crash that killed my father. Wouldn’t get in a car for years. But eventually I became a racer.” 

“And?” Asami folded her arms, not bothering to bend down to address him.

Korra was silent.

“What I mean to say, Asami and Avatar Korra, is I’m sorry. For everything. Please forgive me.” He choked on blood that dribbled down his mouth. “I just wanted a better life.”

“So you stepped on other people’s backs to get there, and you violated my girlfriend not to mention betrayed me,” Asami said coldly.

Chai Son turned his pleas to Korra. “You’re the Avatar. You’re supposed to forgive.”

Korra knelt down to look Chai Son in the eyes. “I forgive you,” she said.

“Now p-please c-can you heal me? I don’t know if I can hold on much longer.”

Korra stood and looked at Asami who nodded back at her. Chai Son sighed in relief, misunderstanding the wordless communication between the two women and lovers.

They continued their path, and Chai Son was too weak to scream after them. It was true, had healers gotten to him on time, he might have been able to recover. But many weren’t so lucky. And so – out of fairness – Korra, with Asami on her arm, walked on by.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Shoutout to Kuvira-Protege, the artist who drew Asami calming down Korra in the Avatar State for inspiring parts of the end. Link: https://kuvira-protege.tumblr.com/post/629795627776311296/remember-the-scene-where-aang-goes-into-the-avatar


	33. Denouement

After the end of the world and the Harvest Moon crisis came the End of the World party. All the usual suspects met at a jazz joint in Fire Town. It was a regular hullabaloo. They not only celebrated their lives, they also prepared to say goodbye.

President Moon, though still salty about Kuvira’s former attempt on her life, thanked Kuvira for her valiant effort in protecting the city. Still, she couldn’t offer the former Great Uniter a full pardon. Instead, she banished her. 

As for Korra, though understandably under the influence, she caused millions in damage and even some deaths. The deaths, though few, each meant something, each were a person – even the ones who chose to stare death down. Thus, repercussions were only fair, and Zhu Li banished Korra too.

Korra and Kuvira – both banishéd.

But Zhu Li wasn’t heartless or unreasonable. She allowed them a week to gather their affairs before the invisible doors to the city would close to them forever, though Avatar Korra park would remain. 

And so they came to the tiny dive of the dusty half-street in Fire Town to let loose. If they were going out it’d be with lowdown style. 

Speaking of style, Varrick confessed to his involvement in the cactus juice enterprise and was sentenced to four years under house arrest. Fortunately for him, he could work on his inventions and designs from home, and it’d mean he’d become a stay at home dad for the bun Zhu Li was baking. That news would be kept mum until after cleanup was long underway.

The jazz band, led by Tahno on trombone, played zesty tunes that had the crowd jiving. Kya danced like an old hippie around Lin who tapped her foot reluctantly to the beat.

Opal dragged Kuvira to the dance floor, though Kuvira didn’t put up a fight about it. They were dancing all hey nonny nonny, showing off their coordinated dance movements and leaning into each other until heat built up between them.

Bae, though not as sure-footed as the other women, made her way to the dance floor and swayed her hips to and fro. Kuvira’s hand found Bae’s hip and reached around to grip her booty as they danced, Bae blushing. 

“I’m gonna get a drink. Want somethin’?” Bae asked Kuvira and Opal after a coupla songs.

Kuvira shook her head, followed by Opal. They continued dancing as Bae made her way to the bar, ordering herself a gin and tonic. She sat there, sipping her gin, watching Opalvira on the dance floor. They sure looked good together. She sighed. 

Tahno, with his wavy black hair tumbling about his face wound up for a solo with the rubber part of a plunger wah wahhing at the bell. He was spectacular in a shimmery ruby colored dress and long mascaraed eyelashes. 

Kuvira approached Bae, thinking she was also admiring Tahno. 

“Hard to believe I used to hate that guy,” Korra said. 

“Really? He’s fabulous!” Bae said shyly in Korra’s ear. She was blushing. Couldn’t help it – Korra was still the Avatar and Bae’s longtime idol.

Korra got an idea and decided to go for it. She patted Bae’s arm like old buds and headed toward the stage.

After Tahno finished his first set, he stepped in heels off the side of the stage and wiped the sweat from his brow. Korra cleared her throat and he turned toward the sound.

“My my, what a surprise,” Tahno said with pointed disinterest.

“I just wanna say – you’re amazing. The way you play your instrument – you sure can blow!” 

Tahno tilted his head back and laughed. “I sure can, honey.”

Korra scratched her head. “So, it’s been a long time since our pro-bending days. I was thinking… do you want your bending back?”

Tahno’s eyes widened and he considered a moment before blowing the loose wavy strand of hair off his face. “I’ll pass. Thank you.”

“What? Why?” Korra was incredulous. Who wouldn’t want their bending back?

“Because, Uh-vatar,” he said, dropping his voice an octave to emphasize the last part. “I’ve discovered who I am in these past years, and I had to lose my bending to find it. I wouldn’t trade that for the world.”

He walked over to his trombone case and strapped his instrument to his body before winking at the Avatar and returning for another set.

Korra was floored but respected Tahno’s decision to keep on blowing sans bending.

Speaking of blowing, Mako was in the stall of the men’s bathroom getting head from Prince Wu. He clutched the rail at the side of the stall with one hand, gripped Wu’s chestnut hair with the other. 

It had been so long since Mako got any type of relief, and he had just been rejected once again by Asami’s assistant, Daisuke, who told him she wasn’t into dating at all. 

Either way, Wu gave amazing head. It was so good that Mako couldn’t focus on anything else, just the throbbing sensation of Wu’s warm motormouth bobbing up and down and his soft manicured hands tickling his sensitive balls, gripping the shaft. 

“Oh fuck!” Mako huffed. 

The door of the stall accidentally popped open and Tu happened to be walking by to take a piss. “Whoa!” he said.

“Tu!” Mako exclaimed. “Get outta here!”

“Don’t have to tell me twice,” Tu did his business and left.

Mako slammed the stall door closed.

“Should I stop?” Wu looked up at Mako who grabbed Wu by the hair.

“No, never fucking stop,” Mako huffed. 

Wu lowered his mouth to the tip of Mako’s bulging cock and began sucking once more.

Meantime, no longer able to contain her hormones and the invisible pull of her throbbing loins, Opal dragged Kuvira to the women’s bathroom next door to have lesbian sex.

Kuvira had Opal against the bathroom sink and was kissing along her chin and neck. She smelled wonderful, tasted better. Idle hands found their way up the hem of Opal’s dress as the young airbender felt along Kuvira’s waist line. 

The door swung open and music spilled in with Korra standing there; she shook her head before promptly turning around and exiting. Kuvira bent the door closed and melded the locks and sealed up parts of the frame sloppily.

It was the most careless she’d ever been as a bender, but that’s because she was engaged in other affairs.

Opal lifted her dress over her head to reveal perky tanned breasts, which Kuvira cupped and suckled as Opal moved her hand down past Kuvira’s pantaloon button to her other, more sensitive one. She dipped a finger inside Kuvira’s pussy and delighted in its wetness, making a hook and pulling it forward. 

Kuvira moaned into Opal’s tits, her hand moving downward and making the same hooking motion. This time Kuvira was fully clothed with pants unzipped while Opal was naked save for her soaking panties. 

They grinded on each other’s fingers then, kissing and pausing to moan and huff when the pleasure became too significant.

Finally, Kuvira positioned Opal upon the sink. Bending gold into a strap-on dildo, she looked Opal square in the eyes and slowly entered her.

Opal cried out at the cool liquid metal filling and hardening within her until it pressed against the right buttons.

Kuvira grinded her hips against Opal’s, penetrating her while moving the base of the shaft against her own clit. Too soon the former Great Uniter felt herself about to come, so she held back and focused all of her attention on Opal, who was huffing “I fucking love you” in her ear.

Kuvira angled the golden dildo, focusing on simultaneous deep penetration and pressure against the padded area along the front wall of the pussy. They rocked their hips against each other, fucking with reckless abandon, cries growing louder by the minute.

Keeping her eyes on Opal’s expressions of unabashed pleasure made Kuvira almost come again. Opal gripped Kuvira’s shoulders tighter, legs following suit about the hips, and as she came she breathed into it while Kuvira continued to grind at a slower pace until she eventually slowed to a stop.

Opal was huffing as Kuvira leaned against her, also out of breath. She kissed the back of the Kuvira’s neck tenderly, playing with her sweat-drenched hair.

“I love you,” Opal breathed.

“I love you,” Kuvira responded, kissing Opal’s cheek. It surprised her how naturally the words came.

“Wanna rejoin the party?” 

“In a minute. I’d like to sit in this dirty bathroom with you just a little longer.”

Despite not coming herself, Kuvira was content.

When Opalvira finally emerged from the bathroom, they walked with their fingers entwined like two people drunk in love.

Bae stopped them on their path to the bar for something strong to wash down their love lust.

“Bae! There you are,” Kuvira said. She was grinning and glowing the way people do after freshly having sex.

“I wanna talk to you. Just you, Kuvira – sorry Opal. No offense.” Bae said.

Opal shook her head. “None taken.”

Kuvira detached her hand from Opal’s, but not before kissing it, and followed Bae to the patio of the bar where people were smoking squares and puffing cigars and drinking martinis with fedora hats tipped at jaunty angles.

When they were in a private enough setting, Bae took Kuvira’s hand.

“Kuvira, you mean a lot to me. I never thought I woulda ended up here, and I got you to thank for that.”

Kuvira could feel a ‘but’ or something like it coming on.

Bae continued, “I think we’re star crossed, and once those stars cross, they enjoy each other’s company awhile... and then keep going on down their own paths.”

“What are you trying to say?” Kuvira asked, though she had an idea.

“I’m saying, I’m gonna stay here in Republic City when you go. This is where I’m supposed to be, and I’m not ready to leave.” Bae and Kuvira’s hands had become sweaty. She unhooked them. “I’m sorry.”

Kuvira, searching Bae’s face for any signs of betrayal in her want found only resolve. She had nothing but love and respect for the woman before her. Nodding, she said: “I understand.”

They embraced wholeheartedly as unknown enemies to friends to lovers back to friends again.

*

Kuvira continued to soak up the fresh outside air after Bae rejoined the inside celebrations. She leaned against the rail, looking up at the sky and the waning gibbous.

“Hey friend,” Korra said as she approached Kuvira from behind.

Kuvira turned around to greet the Avatar who sidled up next to her and looked off in the same direction.

“I can still feel it you know – the power, everything,” Korra said.

Kuvira broke her gaze to look at Korra.

“Did you know what was happening the whole time you were—”

“Out of it? Going berserk?” Korra shook her head. “In flashes, but I’ve never experienced an Avatar State where I’ve completely lost control.”

“Well from what I hear you had a lot going on in there.”

“Thank you, by the way, for being here for me,” Korra said, bumping against her friend. 

Kuvira laughed and punched Korra on the arm playfully. “Kyoshi told me to do it. Said you needed my help.”

“I did… Sifu Kuvira. Which reminds me – I’ve been wondering since I came out of the pocket dimension what it means to be healthy -- in body, mind, and spirit.” Korra rubbed the spot where Kuvira punched.

Pondering this question, Kuvira had some ideas but couldn’t provide a definitive answer.

Korra continued: “health is vital to life, and love is… love… in sickness and health.”

“I’d like to be ninety-nine with my wits still about me and the loves of my life surrounding me,” Kuvira said. “That’d be a life well met.”

Korra considered a moment, replied: “I’d like to become master of myself.”

“Master of the spirits within you, or?”

“Myself. I’ve been wasting time worrying about darkness within me, about right and wrong, moral or immoral. It’s exhausting and, in the end, teaches me little. The real question is – how do I see clearly? How can I see what is?”

Kuvira patted Korra’s shoulder. “We must all walk our own paths, my friend.” She thought of Bae then and fell silent. 

“Excuse me, may I cut in?”

They turned around and saw Asami there looking resplendent as usual. She wrapped her arms around Korra. 

“By all means,” Kuvira moved from where she leaned against the rail and motioned for Asami to take her place. “I’m going to check on Opal.”

Before heading back inside, Kuvira exchanged glances with Asami who smiled in earnest, a silent acknowledgement of potential friendship.

“Speaking of Opal,” Korra gabbed, grabbing a slip of paper from her pocket “did you see this letter from Bolin? They found it on his bed.” 

“No. I’ve been wondering where he was tonight.” 

Asami took the letter and read:

“Dearest Brethren, Sistren, Friends, Family, and Fellow Acolytes,

I, Bolin, am acting on my undying love for Sanyu and for the mutual call to adventure. 

We are but two natural born romantics running away to the traveling circus. Through our travails, we hope to discover more about ourselves and our blossoming love. For love is all we need!

Worry not but think fondly of us. We are in our elements – with the wind and dirt.

I love you all, and especially you, Mako.

Love, 

Bolin”

Asami folded the letter. “Wow, good for him I guess.”

Korra shrugged. “I think so.”

Asami gripped Korra’s bicep softly in the way that always made her entire body electric. 

“I’m giving it up,” she said, looking forward.

“Giving what up?”

“My company – well, about eighty percent of it. Leaving Daisuke in charge. I just gotta iron out the details.”

Korra looked at Asami incredulously. “What? That’s everything to you. It’s –”

“Not. I want a simpler life, a life with love, with you. Besides, my racing team needs a new star racer now that Chai Son’s out.”

“True.” Korra sighed.  
Asami pulled her lover close. “When I was trapped in that portal with you, it was the happiest time of my life. Part of me still feels like I’m there.”

“Me too. Although, I still am… in here and here,” Korra moved Asami’s hand to her head and down to her heart.

“So what’s to be done about this?” Asami said then, looking into Korra’s eyes.

The wind shifted and mutual chill ran through them. 

“I made something for you. It was a long time ago when I was training with Kuvira, but I’ve been working on it since,” Korra began, reaching into her pocket.

“Oh that’s funny, because I also had something made for you – been carrying it around a long time.”

“On three, OK?” Korra said, her body buzzing in anticipation. 

“One.”

“Two.”

“Three,” they said in unison, each pulling out their item.

Korra dangled a tasteful gold chain leading to a pendant with simple yet elegant design.

Asami opened a jewelry box with a blue sapphire ring nestled in it. “Korra…”

“Asami…”

“I love you,” they both said in unison again.

The couple laughed. 

“How does this work?” Korra jested.

“We’re clearly trying to propose to each other.”

“There’s a good chance we’ll say yes.”

Asami nodded. “I would tend to agree.”

They both blushed. Korra found herself leaning toward Asami’s lips but stopped herself.

“While we’re at it, might as well keep going,” she said.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, we don’t need a wedding to be married. I will marry you right here and now. All we have to do is say it three times with the moon as our witness.”

Asami’s heart soared. “Yes, absolutely. I do.”

Korra stepped behind Asami and placed the betrothal necklace around her neck. “Kuvira made the chain but you can wear it anyway you like,” she said tenderly.

Next, Asami turned around to face Korra, taking the sapphire band and sliding it onto Korra’s ring finger. “Do I get to kiss you yet?” Asami was almost in tears. 

Korra shook her head. “Almost. Now we say our vows. I’ll start – Asami, you have been there for me through sickness and health, through my darkest and brightest times. As far as I’m concerned, you’re already my wife and partner. We just spent forever together, so what’s a lifetime?”

If Asami was holding back tears before, she wasn’t anymore. It was usually Korra who cried and she the consoler.

She began: “Baby, you gave me the greatest pleasure I’ve ever known. But even more than that, you gave me a home. You loved me when I was rich, and now I see there’s no difference now that I’m less rich. Because, frankly, you don’t care a lick about money, and that’s partly why I love you. I was in love with you from the moment I met you – I just didn’t know it yet. And so, it’s my honor to stand by your side for the rest of our lives.”

“And now,” Korra whispered. “We say ‘I marry you’ three times and seal it with a kiss. Ready?”

They held each other’s hands and repeated: “I marry you, I marry you, I marry you.”

And with the moon spirit, Yue, as their witness, they kissed.

*

On the day of their exile, Korra and Kuvira walked arm in arm toward the edge of the city. There were no officials there to escort them out; their mutual expulsion was based on trust. 

As a symbolic gesture, they stepped over the invisible line separating the independent Republic City from the rest of the Earth Territories.

Asami and Opal watched their women from behind before catching up and crossing the line too. Bae, meanwhile, stood symbolically behind but saw to it to accompany them up to that point. 

Kuvira turned and waved at her former companion, remembering what they had gone through. She climbed atop Juicy with Opal while Korra buckled up in the passenger seat of Asami’s car.  
A final glace between old friends Korra and Kuvira before their respective parties took off, Asami lead-footing the gas pedal, kicking up dirt in her wake, and Opal declaring “Yip Yip,” signally Juicy to lift-off.

With wind blowing her hair all higgledy-piggledy, Kuvira glanced over at Opal who controlled the reins. As if instinctively, Opal turned to meet Kuvira’s gaze; a single look was enough to fill her up inside. 

Smiling warmly, she said: “So what is this?”

“What’s what?” Kuvira replied, though she had an idea. The sky behind them was full of cumulus clouds reflecting the oranges and reds and purples from the setting sun.

“Between us. Are we official yet?”

Kuvira nodded, studying the contours of Opal’s face and lips and eyes. “Whatever it is, it’s beautiful.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for taking this ride with me. I can’t believe my first fic transformed into something I find profoundly meaningful. What kept me going and motivated me to finish were all the folks who kudosed and commented and messaged me. As a human and artist, those small connections are monumentally important.
> 
> A little about me: I’m mixed Southeast Asian/Irish-American. Interestingly, I was raised Buddhist and Catholic, and I think my writing reflects this contradiction, a sort of nexus between East and West.
> 
> ATLA and LOK have profoundly impacted my life in different ways and at different times. I’m sure I got some things wrong, and this is a first draft. But I tried my best, and ultimately it makes me feel good to share and be part of this fandom with y’all. 
> 
> Anyway, that’s all folks!

**Author's Note:**

> LOK is one of my favorite shows ever. Period. So every second of it is filled with love and consideration for the world, it’s characters, and spirituality. 
> 
> I wrote this fic because I had no choice. I was horny and heartbroken and it burst out of me. But then it evolved into something beautiful along the way, and I’m so proud to share this, especially as a SE Asian-American straddling two worlds. Ofc this is a horny little tale, but it’s so much more. Thank you for giving this little known fic author a chance. Any meaningful (or ridiculous) commentary is welcome. 😊


End file.
